«  OMIM.1MKNTS    <>F    THK     \V. \TKRLOO 

LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL 

SOi'lKTY. 

s.   H.  \VF.LLES.  Ser'y. 


LIBRARY  / 

UMivciMTY  •  r 


CAllfOftNM 

SAN  DIEGO 


3   1822  01144  9956 


£" 


SKOI-YASE  MONUMENT. 


THE 


OF 


AGAINST    THE     IROQUOIS, 
i 

I2M     Ii7i70. 


PREPARED  BY 

DIEDBICH     WILLEBS,     Jr., 

LATE  SECRETARY  OF  STATE. 


TO  WHICH   IS  PREFIXED  A  SKETCH    OF    THE 

WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL   SOCIETY, 

BY 

REV.    S,    H.    GBIDLEY,    D.    D. 


PUBLISHED  UNDER  THE  AUSPICES  OF 

The  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society. 


WATERLOO,  N.  Y. 

OBSERVER  STEAM  PRINT. 

1880. 


TO  THE  DESCENDANTS 


-OF  THOSI 


PIONEER  SETTLERS  OF  SENECA  COUNTY 

WHO  PARTICIPATED  IN  THB 

CAMPAIGN  OF  MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  SULLIVAN 
AGAINST     THE     SIX     NATIONS, 

THIS  BOOK, 
WHICH  AIMS  TO  PERPETUATE  THE  MEMORY  OF 

HEROIC  DEEDS  OF   HEROIC   MEN, 

IS    DEDICATED. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 
PREFACE 3 

HISTORICAL  SKETCH  OF  WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL 

SOCIETY  — 7 

BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  DECEASED  MEMBERS  OF  WATER- 
LOO LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 18 

HISTORY  OF  SULLIVAN  CENTENNIAL  CELEBRATION  AT 

WATERLOO 33 

TOWN  CENTENNIAL  COMMITTEES  AND  OFFICERS 38, 44 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE  OF  CENTENNIAL 41 

OFFICERS  AND  COMMITTEES  OF  CENTENNIAL 43,  44 

WATERLOO  RE-UNION 47 

LOG  CABIN 48 

PATRONS  OF  HUSBANDRY,  ACTION  OF 53,  247 

DECORATIONS  ON  CENTENNIAL  DAY 60 

PROCESSION  AND  ORDER  OF  MARCH 68,  336 

ADDRESSES  AT  CELEBRATION. 

ADDRESS  OF  JOHN  H.  REAMER 73 

"          JOSIAH  T.  MILLER 74 

"          WILLIAM  DORSHEIMER 79 

"          REV.  DAVID  CRAFT 90 

' '          REV.  LEWIS  HALSEY 193 

"          SAMUEL  MC!NTOSH 197 

WILLIAM  W..  VAN  DEMARK. 200 

PETER  V.  N.  BODINE 202 

"          REV.  W.  L.  HYDE 205 

REV.  L.  J.  GROSS 208 

"          GILBERT  WILCOXEN , 209 

"          E.  F.  STRONG .» 212 

"          REV.  J.  WILFORD  JACKS 214 

"          FREDERICK  L.  MANNING '.  .218 

BENJAMIN  F.  HALL 221,  237 

D.  B.  LUM 228 

"  REV.  DlEDRICH  WlLLERS 230 

"          ALBERT  L.  CHILDS..  ..233 


TABLE   OF   CONTENDS. 

SULLIVAN  EXPEDITION,  NARRATIVE  OF 90 

POEM  OF  REV.  DWIGHT  WILLIAMS 161 

LETTERS  FROM  INVITED  GUESTS 167, 191 

THE  COLLATION 193 

TOASTS  AND  SENTIMENTS.  AND  RESPONSES  THERETO 193,  219 

KOI-YASE  MONUMENT,  DEDICATION  OF 233 

FIREWORKS  AND  ILLUMINATIONS 239 

RECEPTION,  AT  MALT  HOUSE 241 

GUESTS  PRESENT  AT  CELEBRATION 58,  241,  242 

PIONEER  SETTLERS  AND  VETERANS  OF  1812 243 

MILITARY  AT  CELEBRATION* 54,  58,  69,  248 

NEWSPAPER  PRESS.  COMMENTS  OF 56,  251 

APPENDIX 297 

HISTORICAL  PAPER,  READ  BY  DR.  S.  R.  WFXLES  BEFORE  THE 

WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 29 

SKOI-YASE,  ARTICLE  BY  GEORGE  S.  CONOVER 314 

LETTER  OF  HON.  THOMAS  C.  AMORY,  RELATIVE  TO  GENERAL 

SULLIVAN'S  PICTURE 326 

CIRCULARS,  RELATING  TO  CENTENNIAL 37,  240,  328,  333,  334 

PROGRAMME  OF  EXERCISES 888 

SPECIAL  PROGRAMME  OF  SENECA  FALLS 339 

OFFICERS  OF  WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY.  .  .341,  343 
ERRATA 345 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

SKOI-YASE  MONUMENT 1 

REV.  S.  H.  GRIDLEY,  D.  D 7 

MAJOR  GENERAL  JOHN  SULLIVAN 33 

REV.  DIEDRICH  WILLERS,  D.  D 216 

THE  LOG  CABIN ..343 


PREFATORY. 


Something  should  be  said  by  way  of  introducing  the 
present  volume  to  the  attention  of  the  public.  It  is  pub- 
lished under  the  auspices  of  the  Waterloo  Library  and 
Historical  Society,  and  its  first  chapter  contains  a  his- 
torical sketch  of  that  society,  by  its  historian,  Rev.  S.  H. 
Gridley.  Added  to  this  sketch  will  be  found  a  longer 
chapter  containing  a  history  of  the  Sullivan  Centennial 
Celebration  of  Seneca  County.  The  original  committee  to 
whom  was  entrusted  the  matter  of  publication,  was  al- 
lowed tq  secure  the  aid  of  Hon.  Diedrich  Willers,  Jr., 
late  Secretary  of  State,  especially  in  preparing  the  history 
of  the  Centennial  proceedings.  He  had  served  as  one  of 
the  secretaries  of  the  county  committee  in  making  ar- 
rangements for  the  celebration,  and  bore  a  prominent  part 
in  making  it  a  success.  His  acquaintance  with  distinguish- 
ed public  men  in  the  State,  and,  through  them,  with 
sources  of  information  not  equally  accessible  to  his  as- 
sociates on  the  committee,  gave  him  advantage  which 
he  used  in  furtherance  of  the  enterprise  to  which  he  was 
committed,  and  to  the  credit  of  himself.  It  was  natural 
that  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  through 
its  committee  of  publication,  should  quite  willingly  rely 
on  one  to  prepare  the  history  of  the  Centennial  proceed- 
ings, who  had  contributed  so  much  to  make  those 
proceedings  what  they  were.  It  is  due  to  him,  therefore, 
to  say,  that  by  his  effort  to  honor  the  County  of  Sen- 
eca in  the  arrangements  for  the  Sullivan  Centennial 
Commemoration,  and  by  his  patient,  diligent  and  exhaust- 
ive labors  in  preparing  its  history,  he  is  justly  entitled  to 


4  PREFATORY. 

the  lasting  gratitude  of  the  Waterloo  Library  and  His- 
torical Society,  and  of  his  fellow  citizens  generally.  Nor 
in  this  connexion  should  notice  fail  to  be  taken  of  Dr.  S. 
R.  Welles.  In  the  preparation  of  the  following  pages, 
his  place  has  not  been  that  of  a  compiler,  yet  nothing  has 
been  written  which  has  not  been  submitted  to  his  inspec- 
tion and  counsel,  and  nothing  has  been  deemed  worthy  of 
publication  without  his  approval. 

In  the  details  of  this  history,  regard  has  been  had  to 
the  sentiment  of  Ex-Governor  Seymour,  that  "What  is 
common-place  now,  will  be  curious  and  interesting  in  the 
future."  Every  fact  and  circumstance  promising  to  in- 
terest the  reader  has  been  carefully  preserved.  To  in- 
struct as  well  as  entertain  has  been  the  aim  of  the  his- 
tory. The  address  of  Rev.  David  Craft,  the  centennial 
historian,  as  published,  is  believed  to  be  the  most  com- 
plete and  accurate  history  of  Gen.  Sullivan's  Campaign, 
which  has  yet  been  given  to  the  public.  Other  addresses 
and  speeches  of  the  occasion  have  been  so  revised  by 
their  authors  and  so  published,  as  to  secure  to  each,  the 
honor  which  is  due.  The  committee  in  preparing  the  fol- 
lowing pages  has  been  careful  to  make  record  of  all 
names,  so  far  as  possible,  representing  such  as  specially 
contributed  to  the  success  of  the  Sullivan  Commemora- 
tion ;  and  where  any  fail  to  receive  the  honor  they  can 
justly  claim,  none  will  feel  more  profound  regret  than 
those  who  have  this  publication  in  charge. 

G. 


/ 


HISTORICAL   SKETCH 


-OF- 


kivtlw  Item  iuil  fifteiiil  ftiwiriy, 

8"j  sJ  *Bl!  ^  w 


Among  the  pioneers  of  Waterloo  sqme  expressed  the 
hope  that  the  rise  and  progress  of  their  adopted  town 
might  have  careful  and  prominent  record.  They  omitted 
no  opportunity  of  rehearsing  to  those  who  came  after 
them,  their  own  experiences  in  felling  the  forests,  and 
erecting  their  rude  dwellings,  and  in  conforming  to  the 
simple  and  frugal  modes  of  living  incident  to  a  new  coun- 
try. Citizens  also  of  the  next  succeeding  generation 
have  held  council,  from  time  to  time,  on  the  subject  of 
gathering  up  facts  and  incidents,  and  the  names  and  per- 
sonal character  of  the  early  settlers,  with  the  view  Of 
preserving  them  for  coming  generations.  Occasionally, 
the  local  newspaper  has  rehearsed  some  notable  event 
handed  down  by  tradition,  or  taken  notice  of  occurring 
changes  in  the  social,  religious  and  commercial  state  of 
the  community.  In  the  year  1862,  the  first  attempt  was 
made  to  give  a  connected  history  of  the  place,  and  this 
was  limited  to  a  lecture  prepared  by  the  historian  of  the 
present  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society.  The 
effort  awakened  some  interest  for  the  time,  but  resulted 
in  no  organization  for  the  promotion  of  further  historical 
research. 


8  THE   WATERLOO    LIBEARY 

It  was,  therefore,  reserved  to  the  year  1875 — a  date 
some  eighty-five  years  subsequent  to  the  first  settlement  of 
Waterloo — to  witness  the  formation  of  an  association  in- 
tended to  perpetuate  its  history.  As  the  result  of  a  con- 
ference held  by  Horace  F.  Gustin,  Samuel  R.  Welles,  and 
Samuel  H.  Gridley,  on  the  6th  of  April  of  that  year, 
cards  of  invitation  were  issued  to  prominent  and  elderly 
citizens  of  the  place,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit : 

"A  number  of  the  citizens  of  Waterloo,  desirous  of 
adopting  some  means  by  which  the  early  history  of  the 
town  may  be  rescued  from  oblivion,  propose  to  meet  at 
the  residence  of  Rev.  Dr.  Gridley,  on  Saturday,  17th  of 
April,  1875,  at  2  o'clock  P.  M.,  to  consult  together  with 
regard  to  the  formation  of  a  Historical  Society,  one  object 
of  which  shall  be  the  collection  and  preservation  of  facts 
relating  to  the  early  settlement  of  the  town.  You  are 
cordially  invited  to  be  present." 

At  this  meeting  were  found  the  following  named  per- 
sons:— Horace  F.'  Gustin,  Daniel  S.  Kendig,  Caleb  Fair- 
child,  Isaac  Mosher,  Franklin  Gage,  Charles  D.  Morgan, 
Samuel  H.  Gridley,  Samuel  R.  WTelles,  James  K.  Rich- 
ardson, Mabel  K.  Richardson,  and  Rebecca  Hulbert. 
These  names,  for  the  most  part,  represented  the  older  cit- 
izens of  the  place,  and  consequently  those  who  were  best 
acquainted  with  its  early  history. 

The  meeting  was  organized  by  the  appointment  of 
Gen.  Caleb  Fairchild,  as  chairman,  and  Dr.  S.  R,  Welles,  as 
secretary.  After  due  consideration  of  the  objects  con- 
templated by  the  meeting,  the  following  constitution, 
previously  prepared  by  the  secretary,  was  moved  and 
unanimously  adopted. 


AND   HISTOKICAL   SOCIETY. 

CONSTITUTION. 

"The  undersigned,  hereby,  agree  to  form  themselves  into  an  organi- 
zation to  be  styled: — 

THE  WATERLOO   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY, 

one  object  of  which  shall  be  the  collection  and  preservation  of  facts  and 
incidents  relating  to  the  settlement  and  subsequent  history  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Waterloo  and  vicinity,  and  the  personal  history,  as  far  as  can 
be  ascertained,  of  the  early  settlers.  Any  resident  of  the  town,  or  de 
scendant  of  former  residents,  maj  ,  upon  application  through  a  member, 
become  a  member  of  the  society,  by  a  majority  vote  of  the  members 
present  at  any  regular  meeting. 

The  officers  of  the  Society  shall  be  a  president,  vice-president,  treasu- 
rer and  secretary,  whose  duties  shall  be  those  usually  devolving  upon 
such  officers.  They  shall  be  elected  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  So- 
ciety, and  shall  hold  their  offices  for  one  year.  There  shall  also  be  elect- 
ed at  the  same  time,  a  historian,  who  shall  have  charge  of  the  manu- 
scripts and  papers  read  before  the  Society,  and  of  all  contributions  to 
the  historical  collections  of  the  Society.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  his- 
torian to  collate  and  prepare  for  publication,  such  papers  as  the  Society 
may  diiect. 

Regular  meetings  shall  be  held  on  tte  first  Wednesday  in  every  month, 
at  such  place  as  the  Society  may  direct.  The  annual  meeting  for  the 
election  of  officers  shall  be  held  on  the  fm,t  Wednesday  of  May,  of  each 
year. 

At  every  meeting,  when  practicable,  at  least  one  paper  shall  be  read 
by  some  member  of  the  Society,  upon  some  subject  appertaining  to  the 
history  of  the  town,  which  paper,  for  the  sake  of  correction  and  accu- 
racy, shall  be  subject  to  the  discussion  and  criticism  of  the  members 
present. 

This  constitution  can  be  altered,  or  amended,  or  added  to,  at  any  reg- 
ular meeting,  by  a  majoiity  vote  of  the  members  present,  provided  that 
a  notice  ot  the  introduction  of  such  amendment  shall  be  given  ai  the 
previous  meeting." 

The  following  officers  were  then  chosen,  who  were  to 
hold  their  office  until  the  annual  meeting  on  the  first 
Wednesday  of  May,  1876. 

D.  S.  KBNDIG,  President.    H.  F.  GUSTIN,  Vice-President. 
S.  H.  GRIDLEY,  Historian.   S.  R.  WELLES — Secretary. 
C.  D.  MOKGAIST — Treasurer. 


10  THE   WATERLOO   LIBRARY 

A  historical  paper  was  read  at  this  meeting.  It  was 
also  ordered  that  when  the  foregoing  constitution  be  put 
into  a  permanent  form,  the  names  of  the  eleven  members 
present  should  be  appended.  These  names  were  sub- 
scribed to  the  foregoing  proceedings  as  follows  : 

CALEB  FAIRCHILD, 
S.  H.  GRIDLEY, 
ISAAC  MOSHER, 
FRANKLIN  GAGE, 
S.  R.  WELLES, 
JAS.  K.  RICHARDSON, 
MABEL  K.  RICHARDSON, 
REBECCA  HULBERT, 
DANIEL  S.  KENDIG, 
CHAS.  D.  MORGAN, 
HORACE  F.  GUSTIN. 

The  Society  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  residence  of  Hon. 
J.  K.  Richardson,  on  the  fifth  of  the  following  month. 

In  accordance  with  the  foregoing  constitution,  meetings 
were  held  monthly;  first  at  private  houses,  and  subse- 
quently at  the  office  of  the  county  clerk,  it  being  vacant 
at  this  time.  Since  taking  its  corporate  form,  the  organi- 
zation has  occupied  the  upper  room  of  the  same  building, 
where  may  be  found  both  its  library  and  museum. 

•'MANGES   IN   THE   SOCIETY,  PREPARATORY   TO    ITS   BECOM- 
ING  A    CORPORATE   BODY. 

For  the  first  four  months,  it  existed  without  leave  of 

my  legal  enactment,  and  without  such  advantages  as  the 

*'  confers.     It  was  little  else  than  an  experiment  so- 

tew  in  number-having  no  certain  dwelling  place 


AXD   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY.  11 

— and  only  feeling  its  way  towards  something  more  im- 
posing, useful,  and  permanent.  It  was  a  new  organiza- 
tion, and  as  yet  could  not  be  tested  by  its  fruits;  its 
character  and  claims  were  yet  to  be  established;  and 
especially  obvious  was  its  need  of  legal  authority  to  com- 
mend it  to  public  confidence,  and  for  the  better  security 
of  whatever  funds  it  might  acquire. 

Hence  at  the  regular  meeting  in  October,  1875 — six 
months  from  the  birth  of  the  Society — the  propriety  of 
some  change,  in  order  to  comply  with  the  law  for  the  incor- 
poration of  such  societies,  was  introduced  and  approved  ; 
and  a  committee,  consisting  of  Hon.  S.  G.  Hadley  and  Hon. 
James  McLean,  was  appointed  to  take  steps  necessary  to 
a  new  organization.  In  January,  1876,  this  committee 
reported  for  incorporation  the  name  of  the 

WATERLOO    LITERARY    AND   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY, 

and  the  secretary  also  reported  that  he  had  sent  such  cer- 
tificates as  the  law  required,  to  be  filed  in  the  office  of 
the  Secretary  of  State,  and  in  the  office  of  the  County 
Clerk.  The  trustees,  named  in  the  certificate — which  bore 
the  signature  of  Diedrich  Willers.  Jr.,  then  Secretary  of 
State,  thus  connecting  his  name  with  the  first  legalized 
existence  of  the  Society,  to  whose  interests  he  has  since  so 
faithfully  contributed — were  as  follows  : 

Sterling  G.  Hadley,  Godfrey  Selmser,  Wm.  H.  Burton, 
Samuel  R.  Welles,  Francis  Bacon,  A.  H.  Terwilliger, 
Richard  P.  Kendig,  Jas.  McLean,  Horace  F.  Gustin,  Chas. 
D.  Morgan,  Wm.  B.  Clark,  William  M.  Hunt,  James  C. 
HaL  stead,  Walter  Quinby,  Solomon  Carman,  Fred  H. 
Furniss,  Norman  H.  Becker,  Daniel  S.  Kendig,  Caleb 
Fairchild,  Sidney  Warner,  Thos.  Fatzinger,  George  Haigh, 
Thomas  A.  Mclntyre,  and  Robert  G.  Smith. 

It  was  resolved  that  the  officers  of  the  old  organization 


12 

should  continue  in  office  until  the  new  society  should  be 
completed  by  the  adoption  of  a  constitution  and  by-laws, 
:ind  the  election  of  officers.'  The  effects  of  the  former 
or-rani/ation  were  ordered  to  be  transferred  to  the  new, 
and  to  be  held  on  the  same  conditions  on  which  they  were 
originally  given. 

During  the  same  month— January,  1876 — another  meet- 
ing was  held,  at  which  the  certificate  of  the  incorporation 
of  the  Waterloo  Literary  and  Historical  Society,  together 
with  the  act  of  incorporation  was  read,  and  a  committee 
of  seven  was  appointed  to  draft  a  constitution  and  by- 
laws for  the  new  Society.  At  this  meeting,  however,  an 
event  occurred,  which  was  somewhat  preparatory  to  an- 
other organic  change  in  the  Society  which  soon  followed, 
or  which,  at  least,  rendered  the  change  of  name  especially 
significant  and  appropriate.  This  event  was  the  reception 
of  a  letter  from  Thomas  Fatzinger,  Esq.,  making  the  offer, 
on  certain  conditions,  of  five  thousand  dollars,  as  the  foun- 
dation of  a  Public  Library,  and  also  the  further  proposal 
that,  if  the  Society  would  raise  five  thousand  dollars  for 
aiding  such  Library,  or  less  sum,  if  thought  best  to  begin 
with  less  sum,  he  would  pay  one-fourth  of  the  same 
amount.  The  appreciation  of  the  generous  offer  was  ex- 
pressed in  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  by  the  board  of 
trustees. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  February  following,  a  constitution 
and  by-laws  were  reported  in  part.  It  was  also  stated 
by  Judge  Hadley,  that,  as  the  act  under  which  the  new 
organization  was  incorporated  did  not  contemplate  the 
foundation  of  a  Library,  an  amendment  had  been  proposed, 
and  had  already  passed  one  branch  of  the  Legislature,  and 
when  approved  by  the  other  and  signed  by  the  Governor, 
a  change  would  be  necessary,  as  well  in  the  number  of 
trustees  as  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  in  compliance  with 
the  provisions  of  a  general  statute  which  limited  thenum- 


A]STD   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY.  13 

ber  of  trustees  to  twelve.  At  a  meeting  held  on  the  22d 
of  March,  1876,  on  learning  that  the  amendment  above 
named  had  been  adopted  by  the  Legislature,  the  Society 
resolved,  thai  in  pursuance  of  the  provisions  of  chapter 
267  of  the  laws  of  1875,  section  1,  as  amended  by  chapter 
53  of  the  laws  of  1876,  section  1,  the  following  certificate 
of  incorporation  be  lodged  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of 
State  and  in  the  County  Clerk' s  office  : 

"CERTIFICATE  OF  INCORPORATION." 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  and  all  of  full  age,  and  all  citizens  of  the 
State  of  Ne*-  York,  do  hereby  certify  that  we  have  and  do  hereby  asso- 
ciate together  under  and  in  conformity  to  the  provision  of  chapter  267, 
of  the  laws  of  1875,  as  amended  in  1876,  as  a  society  or  corporation  for 
the  purpose  and  particular  business  and  object  of  establishing,  creating 
and  maintaining  a  Library,  and  for  purchasing  and  preserving  literary, 
historical,  geological,  genealogical  and  scientific  papers,  pamphlets, 
works,  books,  mementoes,  maps,  charts,  surveys,  specimens,  objects, 
curiosities,  mechanism  of  various  kinds,  pictures,  and  general  informa- 
tion, knowledge  and  facts,  in  any  form  having  connection  with  either 
of  the  above  named  objects,  and  the  particular  business  and  objects,  of 
said  Society  shall  be  that  above  indicated.  The  name  or  title  by  which 
said  Society  yliall  be  known  in  law  shall  be 

THE   WATERLOO   LIBRARY   AND    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

That  shall  be  its  corporate  name,  and  its  principal  office  and  place  of 
business  shall  be  in  Waterloo  village,  in  the  County  of  Seneca,  and  State 
of  New  York,  The  number  of  trustees  to  manage  the  same  shall  be 
twelve.  The  names  of  the  trustees  for  the  first  year  of  its  existence  are 
as  follows,  viz: 

THOMAS  FATZINGER,         SAMUEL  H.  GRIDLEY,  SAMUEL  R.  WELLES. 

HORACE  F.  GUSTIN,          JAMES  Me  LEAN,  DANIEL  S.   KENDIG, 

THOMAS  A.  Me  INTYRE,     CHAS.  D.  MORGAN,  JAMES  C.  HALLSTED, 

FREDERICK  H.  FURNISS,    GEORGE  HAIGH,  WALTER  QUINBY. 
Dated,  March  23d,  1876." 

The  above  certificate  is  signed  by  the  above-named 
trustees,  and  is  on  record  in  the  office  of  the  County 
Clerk,  \vith  the  certificate  of  a  notary  public  in  and  for 
the  countv  of  Seneca,  together  with  the  certificate  of 

*j  7  O 


14  THE    \VATEKLOO    LIBRARY 

Chas.  C.  Dwight,   Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
seventh  district  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

KNPOWMENTS    AND    OTHER   FUNDS    OF   THE    SOCIETY. 

Under  its  original  organization  the  Society  had  no 
definite  means  of  support,  and  depended  only  on  the  vol- 
untary contributions  of  its  friends.  Its  encouragement 
was  found  chiefly  in  the  objects  at  which  it  aimed,  in  the 
zeal  of  its  members,  and  in  the  interest  shown,  by  the 
public,  especially  in  its  department  of  relics  and  curiosi- 
ties. Donations  of  files  of  newspapers  published  in  past 
years,  of  miscellaneous  and  historical  books  and  pam- 
phlets, of  ancient  coins  and  paper  currency,  of  chairs 
once  occupied  by  ancestors,  of  implements  of  labor, 
domestic,  mechanical  and  agricultural,  of  olden  time  ;  of 
portraits  of  early  citizens,  pictures  and  paintings,  and 
other  memorials  of  the  past,  were  weekly  added  to  the 
historical  collections  of  the  Society.  Aside  from  these 
and  like  donations  from  friends,  the  Society  could  say 
with  Peter  and  John  at  the  Beautiful  Gate  of  the  Temple  : 
'  'Of  silver  and  gold  have  I  none. ' '  On  the  first  of  January, 
1876,  it  found  itself  scarcely  free  from  debt,  and  the  new 
organization  began  with  a  balance  of  only  eighty-six 
cents  in  the  treasury. 

Allusion  has  been  made  to  the  Library  foundation  laid 
by  Mr.  Thomas  Fatzinger.  The  gift  of  five  thousand  dol- 
lars was  made  on.the  tenth  of  January,  1876.  It  was  a 
permanent  fund,  the  interest  of  which  only,  was  to  be  ex- 
pended in  the  purchase  of  books.  In  January,  1877,  the 
same  donor  gave  another  thousand  dollars  to  meet  the  im- 
mediate necessities  of  the  Library,  and  to  encourage  the 
gifts  of  others  for  the  same  purpose.  In  January,  1878— one 
year  later— he  presented  the  Society  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  to  promote  its  general  interests,  and  to  aid  in 
defraying  its  current  expenses.  Also  at  the  time  of  his 


AND   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY.  15 

death,  in  April  of  the  same  year,  there  was  found  in  his 
will  a  legacy  of  five  thousand  dollars  for  the  Library, 
swelling  its  permanent  fund  to  the  sum  of  ten  thousand 
dollars. 

Such  a  foundation  cannot  fail  to  secure  a  liberal  acces- 
sion of  books  annually  to  the  Library,  and,  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years,  to  give  the  people  reading  matter  in 
variety  and  interest,  eminently  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
the  community,  for  whose  benefit  the  foundation  was  laid. 
Monies  raised  by  the  Society  in  fees  for  annual  and  life 
membership,  have  already  reached  a  sum,  giving  good 
promise  that,  ultimately,  the  current  expenses  of  ,the  So- 
ciety, will  be  nearly  or  quite  covered  from  this  source. 
Funds  for  a  library  building,  have  been  also  provided,  of 
which  further  mention  will  be  made,  in  connection  with 
the  history  of  other  steps  taken  in  behalf  of  such  a  build- 
ing. 

THE    LIBRARY     ALREADY    SECURED — THE     LITERARY     AND 
HISTORICAL   CONTRIBUTIONS. 

About  three  thousand  volumes  now  invite  the  perusal 
of  members  of  the  Society.  Besides  those  furnished 
by  interest  on  the  library  endowment,  nearly  four  hundred 
volumes  have  been  donated  by  members  and  other  friends 
of  the  association.  We  have  also  reason  to  believe  that  a 
further  donation  of  books  is  only  awaiting  the  day  when 
suitable  shelves  shall  be  prepared  for  their  safe-keeping. 
Among  the  donors  of  books,  the  names  of  Henry  Warner, 
Rebecca  G.  Knox,  Elizabeth  Williams,  Hon.  Jas.  McLean, 
Hon.  S.  G.  Hadley,  Mrs.  Calvin  W.  Cooke,  Rev.  L.  A. 
Lambert,  Hon.  Edwin  Hicks  and  Hon.  D.  Willers,  Jr.,  are 
worthy  of  special  mention  ;  while  of  the  donors  of  valu- 
able maps,  we  ought  not  omit  the  names  of  Hon.  E.  L.  Bur- 
ton, of  Iowa,  and  of  our  own  Librarian,  Horace  F.  Gustin. 
The  society  is  under  special  obligation  to  Mr.  Gustin,  not 


IQ  THE   WATERLOO   LIBRARY 

only  for  the  diligence  and  fidelity  with  which  he  has  dis- 
rliar-vd  his  duties  as  an  officer,  but  also  in  view  of  the 
efficient  outside  influence  he  has  exerted  in  behalf  of  the 
organization  from  its  beginning.  Among  his  contributions 
to  the  Society,  are  two  maps  of  Waterloo,  showing  its 
changes  from  1815  during  the  subsequent  twenty-one  years, 
and  furnishing  an  invaluable  illustration  of  the  growth  of 
his  adopted  town. 

Of  the  original  literary  and  historical  contributions 
made  to  the  society  during  its  existence  of  five  years,  the 
following  is  the  list,  giving  the  names  of  contributors, 
topics  and  dates : 

1.  "  Recollections  of  Waterloo  Sixty  Years  Ago."— Paper  by  H.  F. 
Gnstin;  April,  1875. 

2.  "  Waterloo  as  It  Was  "—Paper  by  Hon.  D.  S.  Kendig;  May,  1875. 

3.  •'  Early  Families  of  Waterloo." — Paper  by  Daniel  Kern;  May,  1875. 

4.  "The  Town  of  Romulus  in  1804" — Paper  by  James  B.  Darrovv; 
June,  1875. 

5.  '  First  Educational  Movements  in  Waterloo  and  Vicinity." — Paper 
bv  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridley;  July,  1875. 

6.  "  Early  Settlement  of  Waterloo."— Paper  by  Gen.  Caleb  Fairchild; 
August,  1875. 

7.  "The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church." — Paper  bv  George  Haigh; 
September.  1875. 

8.  "District  Schools  in  Waterloo." -Paper  by  Rev.   S.  H.  Gridley; 
September,  1875. 

9.  "  Life  and  Character  of  Theodore  Parsons,  a  Pioneer  of  Waterloo." 
—Paper  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridley;  October,  1875. 

10.  "The  Waterloo  Acadernv,  and    the  Waterloo  Union  School."— 
Paper  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridley;  November,  1875. 

11.  "History  and  Its  Uses."— Public  lecture  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridley; 
April.  1876. 

12.  "Waterloo  Forty  Years  Ago."— Lecture  by  Hon.  H    H.  Riley; 
July,  1876. 

13.  '  March  of  Gen.  Sullivan,  through  Seneca  County."— Paper  by 
Dr.  S.  R.  Welles;  November,  1877. 


AND   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY.  17 

14.  "  Border   Land." — Lecture  by   Hon.  W.  H.  Bogart;    December, 
1877. 

15.  "Logan,  the  Mingo  Chief." — Paper  by  Fred.  H.  Furniss;  January, 

1878. 

16.  "Indian  Life  and  Character."— Lecture  bv  Gen.  John  S.  Clark; 
January,  1878. 

17.  'Early  New  England." — Lecture  by  Rev.S.  EL  Gridley;  Febru- 
ary. 1878. 

18.  "Early  Business  Men  of  Waterloo." — Paper  by  Charles  D.  Mor- 
gan; February,  1878, 

19.  "  Superficial  Glance  ut  the  United  States."— Paper  by  G.  Bowdisb; 
March,  1878. 

20.  "Causes  Leading  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the  Thir- 
teen Colonies." — Lecture  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridley;  April,  1878. 

21.  "  Life  and  Adventures  of  Horatio  Jones,  Captive  and  Interpreter 
of  the  Seneca  Indians. "—Paper  by  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridley;  March,  1879. 

22.  "  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  Missionary  to  the  Six  Nations." — Paper 
by  Rev.  S.  H.  Gridlev;  July,  1879. 

23.  "Scenes  Abroad,"  Illustrated  by  the  Stereopticon."— Lecture  by 
Dr.  J.  C.  Carson  and  Dr.  H.  G.  Hopkins;  November,  1879. 

24.  "Red  Jacket,  the  Seneca  Orator  " — Lecture  by  Rev  S.  H.  Gndley; 
December,  1879. 

25.  "  Echoes  from  Seneca  Lake." — Lecture  by  George  S.  Coiiover  ; 
January,  1880- 

Besides  the  foregoing  contributions,  brief  life  sketches 
have  been  written  and  placed  in  the  archives  of  the  Society, 
of  the  following  persons,  to  wit : 

John  Yan  Tuyl,  Reuben  Swift,  Samuel  Williams, 
Daniel  W.  Bostwick,  Robert  Wooden,  Richard  P.  Hunt, 
Amherst  Childs,  Rebecca  Hulbert,  James  Stevenson  and 
Gen.  Caleb  Fairchild.  These  sketches  correspond  with 
one  of  the  expressed  aims  of  the  Society,  which  was  fo 
trace  the  personal  history  of  early  settlers  of  the  town,  as 
far  as  that  history  could  be  ascertained. 

MEMBERSHIP   OF   THE   SOCIETY. 

The  members  of  the  Society  are  those  who  pay  an  an- 


jg  THE   WATERLOO   LIBRARY 

nual  fee  for  access  to  the  Library,  or  for  the  privilege  of 
using  its  books ;  and  also  those  who  secure  such  advan- 
tages by  the  payment  of  twenty-five  dollars  at  one  time, 
and  thereby  become  members  for  life.  Nothing  is  more 
important  to  such  an  organization,  than  reliance  on  self- 
support,  or  the  ability  to  pay  its  current  expenses,  by  the 
contributions  of  its  members ;  and  hence,  the  Waterloo 
Library  and  Historical  Society,  while  extending  the  offer 
of  its  benefits  to  the  public,  looks  for  such  returns  from 
its  members  as  will  not  only  merely  sustain  its  life,  but 
impart  to  it  vigor  and  such  a  degree  of  usefulness,  as 
will  commend  it  to  the  confidence  of  the  people.  Life 
members,  for  the  most  part,  have  become  such,  by  pecuni- 
ary consideration,  while  in  some  instances,  citizens  of  the 
place  and  others,  have  received  such  membership  as  a 
return  for  the  contribution  of  books  to  the  Library,  or  for 
services  rendered  by  lectures  or  otherwise. 

LOSS  OF  EARLY  AND  PROMINENT  MEMBERS  BY  DEATH. 

The  decease  of  several  members  has  been  doubly  sad, 
by  reason  of  their  position  and  influence,  and  because  of 
the  infancy  of  the  organization  bereaved. 

HON.  JAMES  K.  RICHARDSON,  one  of  our  earlier 
and  most  esteemed  citizens,  was  one  of  the  eleven 
who  constituted  the  Society  at  its  beginning,  and  was 
present  at  its  organization  in  April,  1875.  He  was 
quiet  and  unobtrusive  in  manner,  sound  in  judgment,  a 
warm  friend  of  the  new  enterprise,  and  extended  a  ready 
hand  in  promoting  its  interests.  But  within  the  brief 
space  of  six  months  from  the  organization  of  the  Society, 
—October  the  ninth,  1875,  paralysis  of  his  active  and 
over- worked  brain,  removed  him  from  his  earthly  cares 
and  labors.  He  was  a  man  among  men,  a  safe  legal 
counsellor,  the  very  soul  of  honor,  and  none  trusted  him 
to  be  disappointed.  He  died  in  the  sixty- ninth  year  of 
his  age. 


AXD    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY.  19 

Hox.  JAMES  McLEAX  departed  this  life  on  the  eleventh 
of  February,  1877.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Society  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  and  was  a  liberal  contributor  of  valu- 
able books  to  the  Library,  and  of  files  of  early  newspapers 
forming,  in  part,  the  history  of  Waterloo  and  vicinity  in 
their  primitive  state.  He  was  in  full  sympathy  with  the 
work  of  historical  research,  wise  in  counsel  and  efficient 
in  labor,  and  an  ornament  to  the  organization  of  which 
he  was  a  member  and  officer 

THOMAS  FATzixGER,the  honored  founder  of  the  LIBRA- 
RY, died  on  the  twenty-third  of  April,  1878.  He  was 
born  in  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  sixth  of  Decem- 
ber, 1807.  He  was  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  and 
the  fifth  of  six  sons,  of  whom  the  eldest  and  the  youngest 
brothers  survive,  together  with  three  sisters.  When  a 
youth,  the  deceased  engaged  himself  as  a  clerk  to  Charles 
L.  Hoskins,  the  veteran  merchant  of  Seneca  Falls,  whom 
he  served  in  such  capacity  both  at  Bearytown  and  Seneca 
Falls,  and  whose  daughter,  Frances  P.,  he  subsequently 
married.  She  survives  him,  to  perpetuate  his  memory  in 
continuing  his  benefactions  and  good  deeds.  About  the 
year  1830,  he  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  trade  with  his  next 
elder  brother  at  Hector.  But,  after  a  few  months,  he  re- 
moved to  Waterloo,  his  home  for  nearly  half  a  century. 
He  was  consequently  well  known,  and  known  to  be 
esteemed  and  honored.  His  relations  to  the  Woolen 
Manufacturing  Company,  the  chief  manufacturing  estab- 
lishment of  Waterloo,  began  with  its  beginning,  and 
continued  until  he  became  the  president  of  the  company 
and  the  possessor  of  a  controlling  amount  of  its  stock. 
He  was  the  friend  and  patron  of  the  cause  of  education, 
one  of  the  first  trustees  of  the  Waterloo  Academy  and  a 
trustee  of  Hobart  College.  He  served  for  many  years  as 
director  and  president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and  to 
his  careful  and  prudent  business  management  this  insti- 
tution was  greatly  indebted  for  its  success.  He  was  a 

2 


20  THE  WATERLOO   LIBRARY 

uvula]  and  efficient  member  and  officer  of  the  Waterloo 
Lil.nii-v  and  Historical  Society.  By  his  gentle  bearing, 
his  unaffected  modesty,  his  strong  common  sense,  and 
sr»M-ling  integrity,  he  commended  himself  to  the  confidence 
and  affection  of  the  community,  as  his  liberal  benefactions 
appealed  to  the  gratitude  and  encouraged  the  labors  of 
his  fellow-citizens. 

CHARLES  D.  MORGAN,  another  efficient  officer  of  the 
Society,  departed  this  life  on  the  thirtieth  of  May,  1880, 
in  the  sixtieth  year  of  his  age.  He  was  born  in  Ledyard, 
Cayuga  County,  N.  Y.,  in  the  year  1820.  His  robust 
constitution  and  uniform  health,  up  to  the  time  of  the 
sickness  which  terminated  in  his  death,  gave  promise  of 
long  life,  and  corresponding  usefulness  in  the  various  re- 
lations he  sustained.  He  stood  among  the  first  business 
men  in  Waterloo ;  and  his  integrity,  promptness,  and 
efficiency  had  secured  to  him  the  responsibility  of  treasurer 
of  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  which 
he  continued  to  hold  until  the  sickness  which  closed  his 
life.  Mr.  Morgan  filled  a  place  of  great  importance  in  the 
community,  especially  as  an  example  rebuking  that  class 
of  men  whose  business  promises  are  unreliable,  and  en- 
couraging fidelity  in  the  intercourse  of  man  with  man. 
In  all  of  his  relations  he  will  be  missed,  and  in  none  more 
than  as  a  member  and  officer  of  our  Historical  Society. 
His  presence  at  our  meetings  was  an  inspiration  ;  and  his 
willingness  and  promptness  in  labor  secured  to  him  no 
small  share  of  the  responsibility  resting  on  the  Society. 

JOHN  C.  WATKIXS,  an  early  and  esteemed  member  of  the 
Society,  closed  his  earthly  labors  on  the  fifteenth  of  Jan- 
uary, 1879.  He  was  born  in  the  town  of  Moreland.  Mont- 
gomery County.  Pennsylvania,  on  the  first  day  of  May, 
1808.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  came  to  Waterloo,  and, 
for  the  space  of  several  years,  made  his  home  with  Judge 
W:irkins,  his  uncle.  He  commenced  the  mercantile 


AND   HISTORICAL    SOCIETY.  21 

business  in  1835,  in  Wolcott.  Wayne  County,  and  in 
1839,  he  married  Miss  Eliza,  sister  (>f  Thomas  Fatzinger. 
He  returned  to  Waterloo  in  1845,  and  engaged  in  the  dry 
goods  business  with  Edward  Fatzinger,  in  the  store  now 
occupied  as  the  office  of  the  latter,  and  subsequently  re- 
moved to  South  Waterloo,  where  he  engaged  in  other 
pursuits.  He  held  the  office  of  Justice  of  the  Peace 
for  the  space  of  twenty-five  years — a  term  sufficient  to 
show  the  confidence  reposed  in  him  by  his  fellow  citizens. 
He  was  a  man  of  pleasing  social  qualities,  and  remark- 
ably genial  in  his  intercourse  with  all  classes  of  men. 
Not  his  own  family  'only,  but  all  who  knew  him,  will  long 
cherish  his  memory.  His  age  was  seventy  years. 

Mus.  REBECCA  HULBERT,  whose  name  is  recorded  as  one 
of  the  eleven  original  members  of  the  Society,  was  born  at 
Worthington,  Mass.,  on  the  nineteenth  of  February,  1793. 
.She  was  married  to  Elijah  Hulbert.  then  of  Canaan,  N.Y.. 
on  the  nineteenth  of  February,  1814.  The  family  have  re- 
sided in  Waterloo  since  the  year  1817.  Mrs.  Hulbert  was 
happily  constituted,  and  sustained  the  various  relations 
of  life  with  great  equanimity,  and  fidelity  to  her  duties. 
She  was  a  lady  of  the  old  school,  a  keeper-at-home,  and 
found  her  chief  enjoyment  in  the  bosom  of  her  family. 
She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  One  half  of  the 
number,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  have  long  since 
fallen  asleep,  while  four  sons  still  remain.  Mrs.  Hulbert 
took  delight  in  the  memories  of  the  past.  She  found 
great  pleasure  in  reviewing  her  earlier  experience  in  Wat- 
erloo, and  any  allusion  to  the  early  history  of  the  place, 
greatly  interested  her  feelings.  After  a  widowhood  of 
more  than  twenty  years,  and  at  the  good  old  age  of  eighty- 
two,  on  the  twenty -fourth  of  October,  1875,  she  was 
gathered  to  her  fathers,  in  peace. 

ISAAC  MOSHER    was  also  an  original  member  of  the 
Society,  and  was  in  attendance  at  its  first   meeting.      He 


22  THE   WATERLOO   LIBRAKY 

\v;is  born  in  North  East,  Dutchess  County,  X.  Y.,  on  the 
r unit y-iiinrh  of  January,  1800,  and  died  in  February, 
isso.  He  came  to  the  town  of  Waterloo  in  1816,  and  en- 
gaged in  business  in  the  village  in  1834.  In  June,  1836, 
lie  married  Miss  Harriet  Booth,  who  shared  his  fortunes 
during  his  subsequent  life,  and  survived  him  only  for  a 
few  w»>eks.  His  business  ability  and  moral  integrity  so 
won  the  confidence  of  his  fellow-citizens  as  to  secure  for 
him  their  suffrages  for  the  most  responsible  town  offices. 
He  held,  in  turn,  the  place  of  Town  Clerk,  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  Supervisor,  and  in  all  positions  of  a  public  or 
private  character,  he  was  faithful  and  reliable.  In  securing 
the  stock  for  the  Woolen  Manufacturing  Company,  he  was 
the  principal  agent.  Subsequently  he  was  employed  as  a 
private  agent  by  Mr.  Richard  P.  Hunt,  and  at  the  death  of 
the  latter,  was  entrusted  with  a  general  supervision  of  his 
estate,  in  behalf  of  the  heirs.  Born  and  reared  in  the 
Society  of  Friends,  his  life  corresponded  with  his  early 
teaching.  .  He  was  a  man  of  peace,  a  kind  husband  and 
father,  and  a  friend  to  his  race. 

The  Society  is  admonished  by  these  departures  from 
her  ranks,  that  the  Dread  Destroyer  lies  ever  in  the  way 
of  all  human  projects.,  and  its  members  are  bidden  to  in- 
crease their  efforts  for  the  benefit  of  those  who  shall  live 
after  them. 

HISTORICAL   COLLECTION. 

Ancient  relics  and  curiosities  have  been  already  col- 
lected in  large  numbers.  It  has  seemed  that  every  mound 
of  earth,  every  Indian  battlefield,  every  garret  and  cellar, 
every  gamer  and  hiding-place  of  relics,  had  opened  of  its 
own  accord,  to  contribute  to  the  museum  of  the  Society. 

Of  the  relics  already  labeled  and  registered  there  are 
nearly  one  thousand,  while  there  are  many  others  not  yet 
recorded  and  named,  but  carefully  preserved  for  the  use 
of  the  organization.  The  importance  of  this  department 
of  the  Society  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  The  collec- 


HISTORICAL    SOCIETY.  23 

tion  of  relics  and  curiosities  forms  the  chief  attraction  to 
visitors  to  the  rooms  of  the  association.  It  interests  the 
old  by  exhibitions  antedating  their  own  times,  and  re- 
freshes their  memories,  introducing  to  their  attention,  fash- 
ions and  modes  of  living,  implements  of  labor  and  speci- 
mens of  workmanship  useful  and  ornamental,  with  which 
they  were  acquainted  in  earlier  days,  and  furnishes 
them  opportunity  of  judging  wherein  the  new  is  better 
than  the  old.  These  relics  also  attract  the  young,  acquaint 
them  with  the  past,  minister  to  their  love  of  what  is  novel 
and  curious,  and,  by  exciting  their  admiration,  awaken 
a  desire  for  historical  knowledge  and  culture. 

PROVISION    FOB    A    LIBRARY    HALL. 

The  necessity  of  a  building  adapted  to  the  wants  of 
the  Society,  and  which  would  be  worthy  of  its  alms,  had 
long  been  felt.  The  room  containing  the  library  had  al- 
ready become  too  strait,  and  its  shelves  no  longer  proph- 
esied of  books,  for  they  were  now  full,  while  no  proper  ex- 
hibition could  be  made  of  the  historical  collections,  for  the 
want  of  room,  and  due  arrangement  and  order. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  of  trustees  held  on  the 
twelfth  of  February,  1878,  Dr.  S.  E.  Welles,  the  secretary 
of  the  Society,  tendered  a  lot  situated  on  the  corner  of 
Church  and  Williams  streets,  as  a  site  for  a  Library  Hall. 
This  noble  and  generous  gift  was  duly  accepted  by  a 
unanimous  resolution  and  vote  of  thanks.  It  was  further 
resolved,  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  circu- 
late subscriptions,  with  the  view  of  raising  funds  for  the 
erection  of  a  suitable  building,  and  to  procure  plans,  spe- 
cifications and  estimates,  and  report  to  the  board  as  soon 
as  they  were  prepared  to  do  so. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  sixth,  1879,  the  secretary  re- 
ported a  conference  with  Mrs.  Thomas  Fatzinger,  in 


24  THE   WATERLOO   LIBRARY 

which  she  acquiesced  in  a  proposition  made  by  the  Soci- 
ety for  the  purchase  of  her  residence  on  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Church  streets,  for  the  sum  of  live  thousand 
dollars — and  also  signified  her  intention  to  donate  one- 
half  of  that  amount  to  its  treasury.  The  board  accepted 
the  liberal  proposition,  and  thereupon  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  consummate  the  purchase.  At  a  subsequent 
meeting,  however,  the  whole  subject  was  again  considered 
and  the  board  after  more  mature  deliberation,  rescinded 
its  former  action  appointing  the  committee  referred 
to,  and  resolved  to  accept  another  generous  offer  of  Mrs. 
Fatzinger — who,  preferring  to  aid  the  Society  in  erecting 
a  new  building,  as  better  carrying  out  the  wishes  of  her 
late  husband,  and  more  in  accordance  with  her  own  de- 
sire— proposed  to  give  a  lot  on  Church  street,  adjoining 
that  already  owned  by  the  Society,  and  one  thousand 
dollars  additional,  toward  the  erection  of  a  Library  Build- 
ing. 

On  July  third,  1879,  the  committee  appointed  to  obtain 
plans,  specifications  and  estimates,  reported  a  plan  by 
Nichols  &  Brown  of  Albany,  architects,  which  had  been 
submitted  to  Mrs.  Fatzinger,  and  which  at  a  subsequent 
meeting,  was  accepted  by  the  trustees.  It  was  also  then 
understood,  that,  as  soon  as  the  Society  should  raise  four 
thousand  dollars,  it  was  authorized  to  rely  on  the  munifi- 
cence of  Mrs.  Fatzinger  for  whatever  more  was  needed  to 
secure  an  ample  and  commodious  Library  Building.  The 
delay  in  the  execution  of  the  purpose  to  build,  has  been 
owing  to  the  special  responsibilities  resting  upon  the  board 
during  the  year  1879.  The  Sullivan  Celebration  yet  to  be 
noticed  in  this  sketch,  laid  its  chief  burden  on  the  Wat- 
erloo Library  and  Historical  Society,  subjecting  it  to  great 
care  and  labor,  and  to  the  necessity  of  providing  for  a 
large  amount  of  pecuniary  outlay. 

The  trustees  are  now  happy  to  state  that  the  means  for 


AND   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY.  25 

erecting  the  building,  are  substantially  provided  for, 
the  plans  and  specifications  have  been  obtained,  and 
having  appointed  Walter  Quinby,  O.  P.  Loveridge  and 
W.  B.  Branch,  as  a  building  committee,  they  are  assured 
that  the  work  will  be  commenced  without  delay. 

EXPLORATION  OF  THE  ROUTE  OF  GEN.  SULLIVAN5  S  TROOPS 
THROUGH  SENECA  COUNTY. 

In  April,  1879,  a  committee  was  appointed  by  the  board, 
consisting  of  Francis  Bacon,  H.  F.  Gustin,  and  Fred  H. 
Furniss  to  accompany  Gen.  John  S.  Clark,  who  had  pre- 
viously offered  his  services,  in  an  exploring  tour, 
especially  along  the  shores  of  the  Seneca  and  Cayuga 
Lakes,  with  the  view  of  marking  the  sites  of  Indian  towns 
destroyed  in  the  Sullivan  incursion.  This  committee  was 
also  accompanied  by  Mr.  Charles  M.  Hubbard,  as  secre- 
tary, who  subsequently  through  a  county  paper,  published 
the  results  of  the  expedition.  It  was  expected  that 
these  results  would  form  a  part  of  the  present  volume, 
but  the  author,  desiring  more  time  for  revision,  has 
not  felt  prepared  to  meet  this  expectation.  It  may  be 
added  that  such  a  publication  could  hardly  fail  to  awaken 
in  the  citizens  of  Seneca  County,  a  profound  sense  of 
obligation  to  Gen.  Clark,  the  accomplished  guide  of  the 
expedition;  to  the  Society's  committee;  toC.  M.  Hubbard, 
for  his  elaborate  and  full  account  of  the  discoveries  made; 
and  to  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  under 
whose  auspices  and  at  whose  expense,  these  '  ''Tracings  of 
Indian  History-'  were  conducted. 

MONUMENT    ERECTED     IN     MEMORY    OF    THE   DESTRUCTION 
OF  THE  INDIAN  TOWN,  SKOI-YASE,  NOW  WATERLOO. 

In  June,  1879,  the  project  of  erecting   such   memorial 


26 

was  introduced  to  the  board  of  trustees.  In  the  increasing 
Mtti-iition  paid  to  local  history  by  the  people  of  New 
York  State,  one  of  its  first  fruits  is  the  erection  of  monu- 
ments, as  especially  suited  to  call  attention  to  the  past, 
and  to  awaken  and  sustain  interest  in  the  events  which 
these  monuments  are  intended  to  commemorate. . 

Such  memorials  naturally  suggest  traditions  and  recitals 
concerning  the  events  to  which  they  point,  and  by  means 
of  the  inquiry  incited,  greatly  increase  historic  knowl- 
edge and  public  interest.  This  view  of  monumental  record 
suggested  the  erection  of  a  stone  structure  that  would 
perpetually  remind  the  people  of  Waterloo  of  the  former 
occupants  of  the  soil  on  which  they  now  have  their  homes, 
and  also  of  one  of  the  most  effective  agencies  that  led  to  the 
removal  of  the  Red  men. 

The  society  having  resolved  to  erect  such  monument, 
and  determined  its  dimensions,  appointed  Mr.  Walter 
Quinby  as  the  committee  to  execute  their  purpose,  by 
securing  the  necessary  funds,  and  supervising  the  erec- 
tion of  the  structure.  Lawrence  daffy  was  selected 
as  the  builder,  and  in  due  time,  by  faithful  oversight, 
the  monument  was  completed.  Its  dedication  was  re- 
'  served  to  form  a  part  of  the  exercises  of  the  Centen- 
nial Celebration,  and  will  be  spoken  of  in  connection 
with  the  history  of  those  exercises  in  another  part  of  this 
volume. 

The  village  park  was  chosen  as  the  site  of  the  monu- 
ment. Its  material  is  undressed  lime  stone,  found  on  the 
south  bank  of  the  river,  in  sight  of  the  village.  Its 
dimensions  are  as  follows:  foundation  under  ground, 
four  feet  deep  and  seven  feet  square  ;  first  base,  five  feet 
square ;  second  base,  four  feet ;  shaft  three  feet  at  the 
bottom,  and  two  at  the  top ;  the  whole  rising  a  little 
more  than  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground. 


AND    HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

Inscription  on  south  front : 


27 


SKOI-Y  ASE,* 
HE-O-WEH-GNO-GEK 


Inscription  on  the  north  side  : 


ERECTED    SEPTEMBER,  1879, 

To  Commemorate  the  Destruction  of  the 

Indian  Village, 

SKOI-Y  ASE, 

By  Col.  John  Harper,  under  Orders  of 

MAJ.  GEN.  JOHN  SULLIVAN, 

SEPTEMBER  8,  1779. 


The  structure  is  not  so  imposing  as  some  may  have 
desired,  but  is  deemed  by  those  who  devised  it,  an  appro- 
priate memorial  to  designate  the  site  of  an  humble  Indian 
town  of  eighteen  houses,  the  destruction  of  which  formed 
a  link  in  the  chain  of  events  t  hat  accomplished  the  extir- 
pation of  a  savage  race.  In  close  proximity  to  this  rude 
monument  which  marks  the  place  where  stood,  a  hundred 
years  ago,  the  Indian  Wigwam,  now  stand  the  Church 
and  School  House,  the  nobler  monuments  which  tell  tha 
change  from  barbarism  to  civilization. 


*See  orthography  of  name,  Skoi-yase,  in  Appendix. 
"He-o-weh-gno-gek,"  signifying  in  the  Indian  tongue, 
ory," — was  kindly  suggested  by  W.  H.  Bogart. 


'Once  a  Home,  now  a  Mem- 


HISTORY 


OF   THE 


AT 


,  HBT.  Y. 


MAJOR    GENERAL    JOHN   SULLIVAN. 


-AT- 


WATERLOO,   N.  Y.,  SEPTEMBER    3d,   1879. 

"  Amid  these  scenes  of  calm  repose,  that  no  signs  of  conflict  show, 
We're  met  to  hear  the  tale  rehearsed  of  Sullivan  and  his  foe, 
And  fight  the  battles  o'er  again  of  a  hundred  years  ago." 

The  last  four  vears  have  been  distinguished  for  Centen- 

«/  d? 

nial  and  patriotic  celebrations.  The  first,  in  memory  of 
the  Declaration  of  American  Independence,  was  opened 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1876,  and  was  one  of  the  most  im- 
posing memorial  exhibitions  known  in  the  history  of  the 
world.  Five  years  previous  to  that  date,  the  President  of 
the  United  States  had  suggested  the  fitness  of  such  com- 
memoration on  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  this 
bold  and  patriotic  declaration.  The  place  proposed  was 
Philadelphia,  inasmuch  as  here  stood  the  memorable  Hall 
in  which  the  declaration  was  voted,  and  in  which  the  first 
Colonial  Congress  was  held. 

The  ground  set  apart  for  the  Celebration,  was  dedicated 
on  the  Fourth  of  July,  1873.  Invitations  were  cordially 
extended  to  other  governments  to  share  in  the  exhibition 
and  to  enter  into  friendly  competition  with  the  United 
States  in  the  arts  of  peace.  These  governments  as  cordi- 
ally accepted  the  invitation,  and,  through  their  authorized 
commissioners,  sent  specimens  of  their  arts,  products  and 
manufactures,  reflecting  great  honor  upon  their  respect- 


34  SENECA    COUNTY    CEXTEXXIAL 

ive  nations,  while  our  own  people,  in  measuring  the 
progress  of  an  hundred  years,  found  occasion  to  rejoice 
in  the  achievements  they  had  made,  and  in  their  success- 
ful rivalry  of  older  nationalities. 

As  this  national  commemoration  related  to  the  declared 
purpose  of  America  to  be  free,  others  have  quite  natu- 
rally followed,  in  celebrating  events  contributing  to  the 
fulfilment  of  the  purpose.  Thus,  in  our  own  State,  after 
an  appropriate  celebration  of  the  Centennial  of  the  for- 
mation of  our  State  government,  at  Kingston,  July 
thirtieth,  1877,  on  the  sixth  of  August,  1877,  salutes,  at 
early  dawn,  were  fired  along  the  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
inviting  the  people  to  the  commemoration  of  the  battle 
of  Oriskany,  fought  just  one  hundred  years  before.  On 
the  19th  of  September  following,  was  observed  the  Cen- 
tennial anniversary  of  the  battle  of  Bemis  Heights,  or 
Stillwater  ;  and  on  the  seventeenth  of  the  next  month, 
(October)  was  commemorated  at  Schuylerville,  N.  Y., 
the  termination  of  the  brilliant  campaign  of  Saratoga, 
with  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Burgoyne  and  his  army,  an 
event,  the  way  for  which  was  essentially  prepared  by  the 
two  previous  battles.  The  ceremonies  attending  these  anni- 
versaries enlisted  some  of  the  first  talent  of  the  State,  and 
were  conducted  with  joy  and  gladness,  echoing  the  feel- 
ings which  the  victories  inspired  in  -the  hearts  of  those 
who  achieved  them,  and  in  the  hearts  of  the  American 
people. 

The  year  1879  had  been  distinguished  as  the  one  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  incursion  of  Major-General 
John  Sullivan  into  the  territory  of  the  Six  Nations  *  ; 
and  it  seemed  proper,  that  a  campaign  contributing  so 
much  to  the  success  of  the  American  Colonies  in  their 
struggle  with  Great  Britain,  should  be  commemorated, 

Atklress  of  Rev'  T  avid  Craft,  giving  full  history  of  this  Campaign, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  35 

especially  by  those  now  living  in  the  very  track  of  this 
memorable  and  devastating  march.  Hence,  as  Seneca 
County  lying  in  the  line  of  this  incursion,  shared  in  the 
general  punishment  inflicted,  and  was  thereby  opened  to 
the  settlement  of  a  race  capable  of  proving  the  value  of 
the  soil  and  of  introducing  the  arts  of  a  Christian  civili- 
zation, it  seemed  especially  fitting  that  the  anniversary 
should  be  marked  by  some  suitable  memorial  observance. 

In  the  historical  sketch  of  the  Waterloo  Library  and 
Historical  Society  printed  herewith,  reference  has  been  al- 
ready made  to  the  fact,  that  the  honor  of  suggesting  a 
local  Centennial  Commemoration  of  Gen.  Sullivan' s  cam- 
paign against  the  Indians  of  Western  New  York  and  his 
march  across  the  territory  of  Seneca  County,  is  due  to 
the  Secretary  of  that  Society,  who,  as  early  as  November 
twenty-seventh,  1877,  in  a  historical  paper  read  before 
the  Society,  proposed  that  the  people  of  Seneca  County 
should  unite  in  commemorating,  in  1879,  with  appropri- 
ate ceremonies,  the  services  of  the  brave  men  of  the 
revolution  who  served  in  Gen.  Sullivan's  campaign. 

ACTION   OF   THE   HISTORICAL   SOCIETY. 

On  the  sixth  day  of  February.  1879,  this  matter  was 
formally  presented  to  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Histori- 
cal Society  for  consideration.  At  this  meeting,  at  which 
the  following  persons  were  in  attendance  :— Rev.  Dr. 
Samuel  H.  Gridley,  Dr.  Samuel  R.  Welles,  Edward  Fat- 
zinger,  Walter  Quinby,  Col.  Horace  F.  Gustin,  Hon. 
Daniel  S.  Kendig,  J.  C  Hallsted.  and  T.  A.  McFntyre, 
a  resolution  was  adopted  declaring  that,  in  the  opinion 
of  said  board  of  trustees,  a  celebration  of  the  one  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  Campaign  of  Gen.  Sullivan 
was  appropriate  and  expedient,  and  a  committee  of  three 
was  appointed,  consisting  of  Rev.  i>r.  Gridley,  Dr. 
Welles,  and  C.  D.  Morgan,  which  was  authorized  to  call 

3 


36  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

a  meeting  of  citizens  to  consider  the  feasibility  of  the 
proposed  celebration,  and,  (if  approved),  to  request  said 
meeting  to  appoint  a  committee  to  co-operate  with  the 
committee  from  the  Library  and  Historical  Society,,  in 
perfecting  the  arrangements  for  such  celebration. 

CITIZENS'   MEETING. 

In  pursuance  of  such  recommendation,  a  public  meet- 
ing of  citizens  of  Waterloo  was  held  at  the  Academy  of 
Music  in  Waterloo,  on  Thursday,  February  twentieth, 
1879,  at  which  meeting  Hon.  S.  G.  Hadley  presided,  and 
James  Ivers  acted  as  secretary. 

After  appropriate  remarks  by  Dr.  Welles,  Rev.  Dr. 
Gridley,  and  Hon.  Albert  L.  Childs,  in  favor  of  a  com- 
memorative celebration,  it  was  resolved  to  appoint  a 
committee  of  five  citizens  to  act  with  the  committee  of 
three  already  appointed,  forming  a  joint  committee  of 
eight,  in  perfecting  arrangements  for  a  centennial  cele- 
bration of  Gen.  Sullivan's  march  across  Seneca  County 
and  the  destruction  of  the  Indian  villages  located  with- 
in its  borders. 

In  pursuance  of  the  action  of  this  meeting,  the  follow- 
ing gentlemen  were  appointed  a  committee  of  five  on 
behalf  of  the  town  of  Waterloo  :  Hon.  S.  G.  Hadley,. 
Mr.  James  Joyes.  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs,  Messrs.  Benjajnin 
Bacon  and  Gideon  Bowdish. 

JOINT   COMMITTEE   MEETING. 

The  joint  committee  of  eight  on  the  part  of  the  Water- 
loo Library  and  Historical  Society  and  the  citizens  of  Wat- 
erloo, met  on  the  anniversary  of  Washington's  Birthday, 
February  twenty  second,  1879— at  which  meeting,  Messrs. 
Hadley,  Welles,  Bacon,  Joyes,  and  Bowdish  were  in  at- 
tendance—and adopted  the  following  resolution  : 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  3T 

"Resolved,  That  this  committee  deems  it  advisable»that 
a  County  celebration  of  the  one-hundredth  anniver- 
sary of  Gen.  Sullivan's  Campaign  be  held  in  this- 
County,  and  that  its  secretary  be  instructed  to  address 
a  circular  letter  to  the  Supervisor  of  each  of  the  towns, 
asking  him  to  appoint  a  committee  of  five — of  which  com- 
mittee the  supervisor  shall  be  a  member,  ex-officio, — to 
attend  a  meeting  to  be  held  March  nineteenth,  proximo,, 
at  Waterloo  to  perfect  arrangements  for  such  County 
celebration,  to  be  held  at  such  time  and  place  as  said 
meeting  may  determine." 

In  conformity  with  the  instructions  of  the  committee, 
the  secretary  forwarded  to  the  Supervisor  of  each  town 
in  the  County  a  copy  of  the  following  circular  letter: 

WATERLOO,  N.  Y.,  Feb.  22d,  1879. 

DEAR  SIR. — The  WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY,  at 
a  recent  meeting, took  initiatory  action  in  regard  to  a  celebration  of  the 
ONE  HUNDREDTH  ANNIVERSARY  OF 

GENERAL  SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  undersigned,  a  joint  committee  representing 
the  Library  and  Historical  Society  and  the  town  of  Waterloo,  it  was  de- 
cided to  invite  the  co-operation  of  all  the  towns  in  the  county  in  the 
undertaking,  in  order  that  the  occasion  might  be  made  one  of  general 
county  interest. 

To  decide  upon  and  perfect  due  arrangements  for  such  a  County 
Centennial  Celebration,  it  was  thought  advisable  that  each  town  should 
be  represented  by  a  committee  of  Five,  consisting  of  the  Supervisor  of 
said  town,  and  four  other  citizens.selected  by  the  Supervisor,  or  chosen 
HI  sucli  other  manner  as  he  might  deem  best. 

You  are  inviled,  with  such  associates  as  may  be  selected  to  repre- 
sent your  town,  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  Committees  from  all  the 
Towns  to  be  held  at  the  Towsley  House,  in  Waterloo,  on  Wednesday, 
March  19th,  1879,  at  12  o'clock,  noon,  to  consult  and  arrange  with  ref- 
erence to  the  proposed  celebration.  Please  advise  the  Secretary  of  the 


38  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

€ommtytee,   S.  R.   Welles,  of    your  action  in  the  matter,  as  soon  as 
practicable. 

S.  H.  GRIDLEY,  CHAS.  D.  MORGAN,  S.  R.  WELLES, 

Committee  on  the  part  of  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society. 

S.  G.  HADLEY,  A.  L.  CHILDS,  JAMES  JOYES, 

BENJAMIN  BACON,        GIDEON  BOWDISH, 

Committee  on  the  part  of  the  Town  of  Waterloo. 

ACTION   OF   THE  TOWNS. 

The  Supervisors  of  the  several  towns,  in  full  sympathy 
with  this  commendable  movement,  promptly  responded 
to  the  request  of  the  committee,  and  transmitted  to 
the  secretary  the  names  of  their  respective  committees, 
composed  of  representative  and  patriotic  citizens  of 
the  several  towns,  to- wit : 

COVERT: — Dewitt  C.  Wheeler,  Supervisor;  Rev.  Lewis  Halsey,  Lyman 

B.  Parshall,  Major  Orlo  Horton,  J.  L.  Ryno. 

LODI:— Charles  J.  Van  Liew,  Supervisor;  Hon.  Peter  Lott,  Samuel  S. 
Gulick,  Peter  V.  N.  Bodme,  Claudius  Coan  Covert. 

OVID:— De  Forest  P.  Seeley,  Supervisor;  Prof.  W.  L.  Hyde,  Henry  V. 
L.  Jones,  John  N.  Wilson,  J.  S.  Harris. 

ROMULUS:— John  Monroe,  Supervisor;  John  G.King, Richard  M.  Steele, 
E.  Seeley  Bartlett,  Henry  S.  Miller. 

VARICK:— John  V.  Crane,  Supervisor;   Hon.  Robert  R.  Steele,  Daniel 

C.  Burroughs,  Dr.  Andrew  J.  Alleman,  Hon.  Diedrich  Wil- 
lers,  Jr. 

FA YETTE:— Martin  L.  Allen,  Supervisor;  Robert  J.  Swan,  William  W. 
Stacey,  Samuel  Mclntosh,  John  R.  Stone. 

SENECA  FALLS:— William  Walker,  Supervisor;  D.  B.  Lum,  Charles  L. 
Hoskinss  Hon.  Gilbert  Wilcoxen,  E.  W.  Bull,  Edward  Jfiyn- 
derse. 

WATERLOO:— John  E.  Richardson,  Supervisor;  Hon.  S.  G.  Hadley, 
Benjamin  Bacon,  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs,  James  Joyes  and 
Gideon  Bowdish. 

JUNIDS:— C.  J.  Hampton,  Supervisor;  N.  H.  French,  Hon.  William  WT. 
Vandemark,  Hon.  Grin  Southwick,  William  E.  Phillips. 

TYRE:— William  A.  Stevenson,  Supervisor;  Levi  Van  Buskirk,  Dr.  E.  J. 
Schoonmaker,  Israel  B.  Haines,  John  Barry. 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  39- 

COUNTY    MEETING. 

The  meeting  of  the  representatives  from  the  several 
towns  of  Seneca  County,  convened  pursuant  to  call,  at 
the  Towsley  House,  in  Waterloo,  on  Wednesday,  March 
nineteenth,  1879,  at  noon,  and  was  organized  by  the  selec- 
tion of  Hon.  Robert  R.  Steele,  as  chairman,  and  Samuel 
R.  Welles,  as  secretary. 

The  chairman,  in  a  few  well- chosen  words,  stated  the 
objects  for  which  the  meeting  had  convened,  and  heartily 
commended  the  same  to  the  consideration  of  the  assem- 
bled delegates. 

Alter  the  reading  of  the  call  and  circular  under  which 
the  several  supervisors  had  acted  in  the  selection  of  del- 
egates, the  secretary  called  the  roll  of  delegates  and  the 
following  gentlemen  answered  to  their  names  : 

COVERT:— Dewitt  C.  Wheeler,  Lyman  B.  Parshall,  Rev..  Lewis  Halsey,. 
Maj.  Orlo  Horton,  J.  Li.  Ryuo. 

LODI :— Charles  J.  Van  Liew,  Samuel  S.  Gulick,  Peter  V.   N.  Bodiue> 
C.  Coaii  Covert. 

ROMULUS: — John  Monroe,  John  G.  King,  Richard  M.  Steele,  E.  Seeley 
Bartlett,  Henry  S.  Miller.  • 

VARICK: — Diedrich  Willers,  Jr.,  Robert  R.  Steele. 
FAYETTE:— Martin  L.  Allen,  John  R.  Stone. 

SENECA  FALLS: — William  Walker,    Charles    L.  Hoskins,   D.  B.  Lum, 
Gilbert  Wilcoxen,  E.  W.  Bull, 

JUNIUS: — C.  J.  Hampton,  Wm.  W.  Vandemark,  Wm.  E.  Phillips,  N.  H. 
French. 

TYRE:— James  Goodell,  ( by  substitution.) 

WATERLOO: — S.  G.  Hadley,  A.  L.  Childs,  Benj.  Bacon.  Gideon  Bowdish. 

WATERLOO  LIBRARY   AXD    HISTORICAL    SOCIETY: — Rev.   Dr.    Gridley, 
S.  R.  Welles,  Charles  D.  Morgan. 

Remarks,  congratulatory  upon  the  auspicious  begin- 
ning of  a  movement,  which,  from  the  number  and  character 
of  the  gentlemen  present,  seemed  to  commend  itself  to 


40  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

the  entire  County,  were  made  by  Judge  Hadley  and  Hon. 
A.  L.  Childs,  after  which  the  following  resolution  offered 
by  Kev.  Dr.  Gridley,  was  unanimously  and  enthusiastical- 
ly adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  this  meeting  approves  of,  and  hereby 
decides  to  hold, during  the  month  of  September,  1879,  and 
in  such  manner,  and  at  such  place  as  shall  be  hereafter 
determined,  a  County  celebration  of  the  one-hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  march  of  General  Sullivan  through 
this  County." 

On  motion  of  Rev.  Lewis  Halsey  of  Covert,  the  third 
day  of  September*  was  designated  as  the  day,  and  the 
village  of  Waterloo  as  the  place,  for  holding  such  cele- 
bration, 

A  committee,  appointed  by  the  chairman,  to  consider  a 
plan  for  a  more  perfect  and  permanent  organization,  re- 
ported the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  town  committees,  as  now  organ- 
ized, be  retained  as  local  committees  of  arrangements, 
for  their  respective  towns,  with  power  of  substitution; 
that  one  person  from  each  town,  to  be  appointed  by 
the  town  committee,  and  five  members  of  the  Waterloo 
Library  and  Historical  Society,  to  be  named  by  the  trus- 
tees of  said  Society,  be  constituted  a  general  executive 
committee  of  arrangements  ;  that  the  town  commit- 
tees notify  the  secretary  of  the  appointments  made  under 
this  resolution;  and  that,  after  receiving  such  notifications, 
the  secretary  shall  call  a  meeting  of  such  executive  com- 
mittee for  organization  and  further  action." 

During  the  progress  of  the  meeting,  patriotic  remarks 
were  made  by  Rev.  Lewis  Halsey,  Rev.  Dr.  Gridley, 

*General  Sullivan's  army  encamped  in  the  town  of  Hector,  formerly  a  town  of  Sen- 
eca County,  on  September  third,  1779,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  advance  of  the  army 
touched  Lodi,  on  the  same  day. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  41 

Maj.  Orlo  Horton,  and  others.  The  utmost  harmony 
and  enthusiasm  were  manifested  ;  old  men  and  young, 
as  well  the  descendants  of  revolutionary  sires,  as  of  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  county,  acted  in  concert  in  urging 
a  suitable  observance  of  an  event  which  opened  up  the 
territory  of  Seneca  County  to  civilization. 

EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE. 

The  several  town  committees  responded  with  alacrity 
to  the  request  of  the  County  Meeting,  and  forwarded  to 
the  secretary  the  iollowing  names  of  leading  gentlemen' 
of  the  several  towns  appointed  to  serve  as  members  of 
the  executive  committee : 

COVERT:— De witt  C.  Wheeler. 

LODI: — Casper  B.  Vescelius. 

OVID: — Henry  V.  L.  Jones. 

ROMULUS:— Andrew  Jackson  Bartlett. 

VARICK:— Charles  H.  Sayre. 

FA YETTE:-  Robert  J.  Swan.   . 

SENECA  FALLS: — Harrison  Chamberlain. 

TYRE:— Rev.  Pulaski  E.  Smith. 

JUNITTS: — Hon.  Orin  Southwick. 

WATERLOO:— Hon.  Sterling  G.  Hadley. 

WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY: — Rev.  Dr.  S. 
H.  Gridley,  Samuel  R.  Welles,  Fred.  H.  Furniss, 
Maj.  Myndert  D.  Mercer,  Alonzo  H.  Terwilliger. 

ORGANIZATION   OF  THE   EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE,    &C. 

The  executive  committee  thus  constituted,  convened, 
pursuant  to  call  of  the  secretary,  at  the  Towsley  House, 
in  Waterloo,  on  Wednesday,  April  ninth,  1879,  seven  of 
the  ten  towns  and  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical 
Society  being  represented  (the  committees  from  Lodi,Ovid 
and  Juriius,  absent)  and  organized  by  the  selection  of 
Robert  J.  Swan  of  Fayette,  as  chairman  and  S.  R. 
Welles,  as  secretarv. 


42  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

The  committee  thereupon  proceeded  to  consider  a  gen- 
eral plan  or  programme  for  the  proposed  Centennial 
celebration,  and  the  subject  was  discussed  by  Rev.  Dr. 
Gridley,  Rev.  P.  E.  Smith,  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs,  Mr.  George 
S.  Conover,  of  Geneva,  (who  -was  invited  to  be  present 
at  the  meeting)  and  others. 

The  secretary  submitted  the  following  outline  or  plan 
for  conducting  such  celebration,  which,  after  discussion, 
was  adopted : 

1.  There  shall  be  a  grand  procession,  in  which  all  of 
thetovsns  shall  be  represented  in  alphabetical  order,  each 
with  its  own  banner  and  martial  music,  a  Grand  Marshal 
and  assistants,  and  such  aids  for  each  town  as  may    be 
deemed  necessary. 

2.  After  the  procession  shall    have  reached   the  place 
designated  for  holding   the   celebration,    the    exercises 
shall  be  opened  with  prayer,  to  be  followed  by  an  ad- 
dress of  welcome,  by  the  President  of  the  village  of  VVat- 
erloo,an  address  by  the  President  of  the  day, introducing 
the  Orator  of  the  day,  who  will  deliver  a  commemorative 
oration,  to  be  followed  by  a  historical  address  and  a  poem, 
the    exercises  to  be  interspersed  with  music   suited   to 
the  occasion. 

3.  A  collation,  to  be  followed   by  toasts,  general    and 
special,  including  a  sentiment  for  each  town,  to  be  respon- 
ded to  by  a  speaker  selected  by  the  committee   of  each 
town. 

4.  The  committee  of  each   town  to  designate  a  person 
to  serve  as  town  historian,  and  also  a  vice-president,   to 
serve  on  the  day  of  the  celebration. 

5.  The  secretaries  to  be  this  day  appointed    to  prepare 
and  forward  to  each  town  committee  a  circular,*  setting 

*See  Appendix . 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  43 

forth  such  information  as  may  be  deemed  important  in 
the  action  of  the  executive  committee  relative  to  the  cele- 
bration, and  also  to  cont  lin  instructions  to  the  town  his- 
torians in  reference  to  the  collection  and  preservation  of 
historical  information  for  the  several  towns. 

OFFICERS   AND   COMMITTEES. 

The  following  officers  and  committees  of  the  celebration 
were  chosen  at  this  and  subsequent  meetings  of  the  ex- 
ecutive committee  : 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  DAY  :— General  Josiah  T.  Miller,  of  Seneca  Falls. 

SECRETARIES: — Samuel   R.    Welles,   Waterloo  ;  Diednch  Willers,   Jr., 

Varick. 

•  CHAPLAINS:— Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Gridley,  Waterloo;  Rev.  Pulaski  E.  Smith, 
Tyre. 

GRAND  MARSHAL: — Gen.  George  Murray  Guiou,  Seneca  Falls. 

ASSISTANT  MARSHALS. — Gen.  John  B.  Murray,  Seneca  Falls;  Maj.  J.  K. 
Loriug,  Andrew  S.  Holenbeck,  Dr.  John  W.  Day,  Waterloo. 

COMMITTEE  ON  ORATOR,  HISTORIAN  AND  POET:— Rev.  Lewis  Halsey, 
Covert;  A.  L.  Chads,  Waterloo;  Chas.  A.  Hawley,  Seneca 
Falls. 

COMMITTEE  ON  INVITED  GUESTS:— Diedrich  Willers,  Jr.,  Varick;  Wm.  H. 
Burton,  Waterloo;  Harrison  Chamberlain,  Seneca  Falls. 

COMMITTEE  ON  MILITARY: — James  Joyes,  Hon.  S.  G.  Hadley,  Waterloo; 
Col.  Henry  F.  Noyes,  Seneca  Falls. 

COMMITTEE  ON  FINANCE: — D.  C.  Wheeler,  Covert,  Chas.  D.  Morgan  and 
M.  D.  Mercer,  Waterloo. 

COMMITTEE  ON  INVITATION  AND  ENTERTAINMENT  OF  THE  PRESS:— James 
Joyes,  Will  R.  Kennard,  Observer, Waterloo;  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs, 
Seneca  Co. ,  News,  Waterloo,  Rev.  L.  A.  Lambert,  Tftnes,  Wat- 
erloo; Henry  Stowell,  Reveille,  A.  H.  Com  stock  and  Henry 
Marshall,  Courier,  Seneca  Falls,  and  Oliver  C.  Cooper,  Inde- 
pendent, Ovid, 

LOCAL    COMMITTEES. 

The  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  together 
with  the  committee  of  the  town  of  Waterloo,  was  author- 
ized to  designate  such  local  committees  as  it  might 


44  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

consider  necessary.     Under  this  authority  the  following- 
committees  were  appointed : 

ON  GROUNDS  AND  TEXTS:— Messrs.  Salomon  Carman,  Jesse  Snook,  C.  C. 

Gridley,  E.  V.  Burton. 
ON  DECORATIONS  AND  FIRE  WORKS:— Messrs.  Chas.  W.  Pratt,  W.  D 

Burrall,  Charles  A.  Kuox,  W.  B.  Branch,  Robert  Baster. 
ON  SUBSCRIPTIONS  AND  FINANCE—  W.  B.  Clark,  S.  R.  Welles,  J.  E.  Rich 

ardson,  L.  Goodman,  A.  C.  Reed,  O.  P.  Loveridge. 
ON  ENTERTAINMENT  OF  GUESTS:— Messrs.  W.   Quinby,   Daniel  Berry, 

Jacob  Sands.  John  Casterlin 
ON  MUSIC:— Messrs.  J.  S.  Bough  ton,    Benj.  Boots,    M.  M.  Camp,  L  P 

Bird,  Richard  Ed  .vards. 

ON  POLICE:— P.  U.  VanCleef ,  Dep.  Sheriff  of  Seneca  County. 
ON  RECEPTION  OF  GUESTS:—^  act  with  the  General  Committee  on  In- 

vitations,— Messrs.    M.  D.   Mercer,    A.    H.    Terwilliger,    W. 

B.  Clark,  Root.   J.  Swan,  W.   A.  Swaby,   A.   M.  Patterson, 

Francis  Bacon,  Abner  C.  Clark,  Benj.  Selmser. 
TREASURER:— W.  L.  Mercer. 

TOWN   APPOINTMENTS. 

The  committees  of  the  several  towns,  in  response 
to  the  circular  letter  of  the  secretaries,  gave  notice  of  the 
following  appointments,  of  historians,  of  vice-presi- 
•dents  of  the  celebration,  and  of  speakers  to  respond  for 
each  town  on  the  day  of  the  celebration  : 

'C-OVERT:— Ira  Almy,  Vice  President;  Maj.  Orlo  Horton,  Historian;  Rev. 
Lewis  Halsey,  Speaker. 

LoDi:— Richard  Van  Liew,  Vice  President;  C.  Coan  Covert,  Historian; 
Peter  V.  N.  Bodine,  Speaker. 

•OviD:— Hon.  James  B.  Thomas,  Vice -President;  John  B.  Bliss,  His- 
torian; Prof.  Wm.  L.  Hyde,  Speaker. 

ROMULUS :— John  G.  King,  Vice  President;  E.  SeeJey  Bartlett,  Historian; 
Rev.  L.  J.  Gross,  Speaker. 

VARICK:— Hon.  R.  R.  Steele,  Vice  President;  Diedrich  Willers,  Jr., 
Historian;  Rev.  J.  Wilford  Jacks,  Speaker. 

FAYETTE:— Samuel  Mclntosh,  Vice  President;  W.  W.  Stacey,  Historian; 
Samuel  Mclntosh,  Speaker. 

SENECA  FALLS:— Chas.  L.  Hoskins,  Vice  President;  D.  B.  Luin,  His- 
torian; Hon.  Gilbert  Wilcoxen.  Speaker. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  45 

TYRE:— Hon.  Robert  L.  Stevenson,  Vice  President;  Rev.  P.  E.  Smith 

Historian;  E.  F.  Strong,  Speaker. 
JUNIUS:— Peter  Traver,  Vice  President;  C.  J.  Hampton,  Historian;  Hon. 

Wm  VanDemark,  Speaker. 
WATERLOO:— Hon.  Dan'l  S.  Kendig,  Vice  President;  Rev.   Dr.  S.  H. 

Gridley,  Historian;  Col.  Fred'k  L.  Manning,  Speaker. 

MEETINGS   OF   EXECUTIVE   COMMITTEE. 

Meetings  of  the  executive  committee,  were  also  held 
June  twenty-first,  July  eleventh  and  twenty-sixth,  and 
August  twenty- sixth,  at  which  the  details  connected  with 
the  celebration  were  enlarged  and  perfected,  and  reports 
of  committees  were  received  and  acted  upon. 

It  will  only  be  necessary  to  notice  these  meetings  gen- 
erally, and  the  more  important  items  of  business  trans- 
acted thereat : 

At  the  meeting  of  June  twenty-first,  the  committee  on 
location  of  grounds  for  the  celebration,  reported  in  favor 
of  holding  the  same  in  the  Academy  Park,  in  the  village 
of  Waterloo.  After,  consideration  and  discussion  of  the 
advantages  of  this  and  other  locations,  the  executive 
committee  voted  to  hold  the  celebration  at  the  Maple 
Grove  Fair  Grounds,  in  the  north-east  portion  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Waterloo,  the  free  use  of  which  for  this  occasion 
had  been  generously  accorded  by  the  owner,  Mr.  Wm.  H. 
Burton.  The  wisdom  of  this  selection  was  fully  vindica- 
ted on  the  day  of  the  celebration. 

At  this  and  subsequent  meetings  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee, special  invitations  to  attend  the  celebration  were 
extended  to  the  veterans  of  the  war  of  1812- ;  to  pioneer 
settlers  of  Seneca  County,  still  living,  who  located  within 
the  territory  of  the  county,  prior  to  its  organization,  March 
twenty-fourth,  1804,  or  'persons  born  in  the  County, 
prior  to  that  date  and  still  residing  therein  ;  to  surviving 
soldiers  of  the  late  war,  (1861-1865,)  to  the  press  of  this 


46  SEXECA   COUNTY   CEXTEXXIAL 

county,  and  to  the  Forty-Ninth  Regiment  of  the  National 
Guard  of  this  State. 

The  Forty-Ninth  Regiment  and  its  band,  having 
accepted  the  invitation  to  attend  the  celebration,  con- 
ditional upon  being  furnished  entertainment  and  trans- 
portation, each  town  of  the  County  was  requested  by  the 
executive  committee  to  contribute  the  sum  of  at  least 
thirty  dollars,  toward  defraying  the  expense  of  furnish- 
ing refreshments  to  the  said  regiment,  and  for  the  cost  of 
procuring  a  special  tent  for  the  use  of  each  town  on  the 
day  of  the  celebration — a  request  which  was  cordially 
responded  to,  by  every  town. 

The  initiatory  steps  having  been  thus  taken,  .the  work 
of  preparation  for  the  celebration  began  to  take  shape 
actively,  as  well  at  Waterloo  as  in  the  sevei'al  towns. 

ACTIOX   OF   SPECIAL   COMMITTEES. 

The  committee  on  Orator,  Historian  and  Poet,  had  the 
good  fortune  to  secure  the  services  of  an  accomplished 
scholar,  Hon.  Wm.  Dorsheimer,  Lieutenant- Governor  of 
this  State,  as  Orator  ;  of  a  gentleman  who  had  given  much 
study  to  Indian  history  and  the  Sullivan  Campaign,  and 
possessed  withal  of  fine  de  scriptive  powers  as  a  writer, 
Rev.  David  Craft  of  Wyalusing,  Bradford  County,  Penn., 
as  Historian;  and  of  a  gentleman  of  literary  culture  and 
possessed  of  a  high  order  of  poetic  talent,  Rev.  Dwight 
Williams  of  Trumansburgh,Tompkins  Co.,  N.  Y.  as  Poet, 

The  committee  on  invited  guests,  already  in  the  month 
of  July,  began  the  work  of  sanding  out  invitations  to 
attend  the  celebration  (of  which  more  than  two  hundred 
were  issued)  to  official  personages  in  this  and  other  States, 
and  to  gentlemen  of  prominence  and  distinction,  former- 
ly residents  of  this  county,  now  residing  in  other  counties 
and  states. 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  47 

THE    WATERLOO    HE-UNION. 

"How  dear  to  the  heart  are  the  scenes  of  my  childhood, 

When  fond  recollection  presents  them  to  view ; 
The  orchard,  the  meadow,  the  deep-tangled  wild-wood, 

And  every  loved  spot  which  my  infancy  knew; 
The  wide  spreading  pond,  and  the  mill  that  stood  by  it, 

The  bridge  and  the  rock  where  the  cataract  fell ; 
The  cot  of  my  father,  the  dairy  bouse  uigh  it, 

And  e'en  the  rude  bucket  which  hung  in  the  well!" 


Tile  local  committees  of  the  Waterloo  Library  and 
Historical  Society,  and  of  the  town  of  Waterloo,  early 
determined  to  add  to  the  Celebration,  the  dedication  of  a 
monument  to  be  erected  in  the  Academy  Park,  commem- 
orative of  the  destruction  of  the  Indian  village  of  Skoi- 
yase,  located  upon  the  site  of  the  present  village  of 
Waterloo — and  at  the  same  time  to  combine  a  Re-union 
of  former  residents  of  Waterloo,  to  celebrate  the  semi- 
centennial of  the  erection  of  the  town  of  Waterloo,  from 
Junius,  in  1829,  and  accordingly  issued  a  large  number 
of  special  invitations  to  former  residents  of  the  town  to 
be  present  on  this  occasion. 

In  response  to  invitations  of  the  committee  of  the  Cen- 
tennial Celebration,  and  of  the  committee  of  the  Waterloo 
Re-union,  *  a  number  of  replies  were  received  from  invited 
guests — some  announcing  their  intention  to  attend,  and 
others  regretting  their  inability  to  be  present.  Some  of 
these  letters  appear  in  the  Appendix. 

TROOPS   OF   MOUNTED   MEN,  YOUNG   LADIES   IN   WHITE, &C. 

And  now  the  work  of  preparation  progressed  from  day 
to  day  ;  in  some  of  the  towns  active  efforts  were  success- 
fully instituted  to  recruit  and  drill  troops  of  mounted 
men  to  take  part  in  the  procession.  In  most  of  the 

*See  Invitation  Circnlars  in  Appendix. 


48  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

towns,  the  young  ladies  were  also  enlisted  in  the  cause. 
As  they  appeared,  robed  in  white,  on  the  day  of  the 
commemoration  they  formed  an  attractive  feature  of  the 
procession. 

THE   LOG   CABIN. 

"My  own  native  home,  in  the  cot  on  the  hill, 
The  place  of  my  birth!  Oh,  it  gives  such  a  thrill 

Of  joy  and  sensation  !  I  cannot  forget 
The  little  log  cottage,  I  honor  it  yet  " 

The  committee  conceiving  the  idea  of  adding  a  very 
special  attraction  to  the  grounds,  in  the  erection  of  a 
"Log  Cabin,"  as  a  reminder  of  pioneer  life,  took  the  ne- 
cessary steps  to  secure  the  requisite  material  therefor,  and 
designated  Tuesday,  August  twelfth,  as  the  day  for  erect- 
ing the  same. 
i 

A  writer  in  the  Seneca  County  Courier,  describes  the 
"raising"  or  erection  of  the  log  cabin,  so  fully  and  so 
well,  that  his  account  thereof,  is  given  herewith,  in  full, 
as  follows: 

"The  erection  of  the  primitive  Log  Cabin  on  the  Fair 
Grounds  on  Tuesday,  to  be  used  at  the  Sullivan  Celebra- 
tion, attracted  a  large  number  of  people,  fully  six  hundred 
being  on  the  grounds  at  different  periods  of  the  day. 
The  idea  of  erecting  a  log  house  similar  to  those  occupied 
by  the  first  settlers  of  this  County,  was  conceived  by 
Solomon  Carman,  and  through  his  efforts  the  cabin  has 
.become  a  fixed  reality,  and  is  now  in  readiness  for  the 
celebration.  It  is  a  structure  eighteen  by  twenty-four 
feet,  and  contains  thirty-seven  logs.  The  material,  with 
the  exception  of  the  sawed  lumber  for  flooring,  etc.,  was 
secured,  by  contribution,  from  the  farmers  and  others. 
Each  of  the  following  gentlemen  furnished  a  log : 

Caspar  Yost,  Jesse  Snook,  U.  D.  Belles,  S.  R.  Welles, 
Win.  Ireland,  Geo.  K.  Marshall,  Michael  B.  Hitter,  Geo. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  49 

Serven,  Jedediah  Pierson,  Levi  Reynolds,  John  W.  Booth, 
Perry  D.  Shankwiler,  M.  Snyder.  John  Anderson,  W. 
R.  Pendall,  Peter  Traver,  Henry  S.  Bonnell,  G.  Woodin, 
David  Stewart,  W.  W.  Vandemark,  Charles  Youngs,  N. 
Seeley,  Benj.  Bacon,  G.  Bowdish,  Samuel  Thomas,  Wm. 
Barrett,  Fred  Bacon,  W.  R.  Bonnell,  Walter  H.  Allen, 
Henry  Kidd,  Alfred  Vail,  Lorenzo  Brownell,  and  Stephen 
Cadmus.  Michael  Thomas  and  A.  F.  Illick  gave  two  each. 
The  rafters  were  supplied  by  Martin  Hough  and  Henry 
Bonnell ;  the  material  for  chinking  by  Isaac  Belles,  and 
the  skids  by  Barney  Snyder ;  the  rough  slats  for  roofing 
were  contributed  by  Charles  F.  Vandemark  and  Reamer  & 
Hallsted,  and  the  nails  and  windows  by  Carman  &  Allen; 
A  quantity  of  scantling  was  furnished  by  A.  H.  Terwilli- 
ger  &  Co.,  and  the  chimney  was  constructed  and  presented 
by  Charles  W.  Pratt. 

At  an  early  hour  Tuesday  morning  the  farmers  began 
to  come  in  with  their  logs  and  by  eight  o1  clock  operations 
were  begun  under  the  supervision  and  direction  of  Mr. 
Carman.  There  was  a  large  number  of  volunteer  helpers, 
including  some  of  the  best  known  citizens  in  the  sur- 
rounding towns,  and  every  man  worked  with  a  will.  The 
logs  at  one  corner  of  the  building  were  hewn  or  notched 
by  Prof.'  J.  S.'Boughton,  while  U.  D.  Belles,  N.  Seeley  and 
Isaac  Belles,  carried  up  the  other  corners.  Converse  G. 
Johnson  contributed  one  of  the  finest  flag-poles  ever  erected 
in  this  section — a  beautiful  pine  tree,  seventy  feet  in  height. 
This  was  placed  at  the  south  end  of  the  cabin  to  bear  aloft 
the  stars  and  stripes. 

At  a  quarter  past  five  the  colors  were  run  up  and  floated 
to  the  north  over  the,  as  yet,  uncompleted  structiire.  As 
the  folds  of  the  "standard  sheet"  wrere  given  to  the  wind, 
three  rousing  cheers  went  up  for  ' '  the  old  flag  and  Solo- 
mon Carman  ;"  but  this  did  not  satisfy  the  enthusiasm  of 
the  crowd,  and  again  were  given  three  as  hearty  cheers  as 


50  SKM-K  A  COTNTY  CENTENNIAL. 

ever  came  from  human  throats,  in  honor  of  "the  house 
that  Sol.  built."  Again  the  men  resumed  the  work  with 
renewed  zeal,  and  by  six  o'clock  the  rafters  were  up  and 
roof -boards  on.  The  building  was  finished  up  yesterday, 
and  those  who  attend  the  celebration  on  the  third  of  Sep- 
tember will  see  an  excellent  fac-simile  of  the  log  cabins 
erected  a  century  ago." 

The  executive  committee,  having  set  apart  the  log  cabin 
as  the  headquarters  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  the  County 
and  of  the  veterans  of  the  war  of  1812,  imposed  the  duty 
of  arranging  and  decorating  the  cabin,  on  Col.  H.  F. 
Gustin,  who  spared  no  effort  to  adorn  the  interior  and  ex- 
terior with  furniture  and  equipments  of  the  old  time 
regime. 

From  the  cross  beams  overhead,  were  suspended 
on  wooden  hooks,  flint  lock  rifles,  shot  gun  and  musket, 
with  powder-horn,  bullet-pouch  and  shot  -bag.  On  shelves 
in  one  corner  of  the  room  were  arranged  pewter  plates 
and  platters,  with  pewter  drinking  cups — and  near  by 
stood  an  old-fashioned  water  bucket,  over  which  was  sus- 
pended the  gourd,  as  a  drinking  vessel. 

In  the  open  fire-place  was  the  lug  pole  and  trammel, 
iron  pots  and  kettles  used  in  cooking,  bake  kettles,  skil- 
lets and  spiders,  gridiron,  toasting  iron,  ladles,  skimmers, 
toasting  fork,  fire  dogs  or  andirons,  with  heavy  shovel 
and  tongs  resting  thereon.  The  wooden  bread  trough  in 
which  our  grand-mothers  kneaded  their  bread,  and  the 
braided  straw  bread-baskets,  in  which  the  dough  was  de- 
posited preparatory  to  being  placed  in  the  bake-oven, 
with  the  olden-time  flax  wheel  and  hatchel  were  duly  re- 
membered, and  the  ancient  bed  warming  pan  was  not  for- 
gotten, while  pending  from  the  beams  were  strings  of 
dried  apples  and  pumpkins. 

In  the  open  porch,  the  ox-yoke  and  chain,  heavy  Dutch 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  51 

harness,  Dutch  scythe,  sickle,  winnowing  fan,  and  other 
implements  of  old-time  husbandry,  had  an  appropriate 
place — while  upon  the  exterior  of  the  building,  the  never- 
to-be-forgotten  coon  skins  were  duly  affixed. 

In  short,  upon  the  interior  and  exterior,  were  displayed 
specimens  of  all  the  important  articles  of  furniture, 
adornments  and  equipments  of  the  log  cabin  of  "ye  an- 
cient time.'' 

A  lady  correspondent  of  the  AVaterloo  Observer,  under 
the  nom  de  plume  of  "Jennie  Van,""  wrote  of  the  log 
cabin,  in  the  following  pleasing  style  : 

"THE  LOG  CABIN." 

One  of  the  most  interesting,  attractive  and  suggestive 
objects  of  the  Centennial  Celebration  at  Waterloo  is  the 
"log  cabin"  erected  on  the  Fair  Grounds.  The  idea 
originated  with  one  of  the  most  esteemed  citizens  of  that 
place,  and  met  with  ready  acceptance  in  the  community. 
Individual  contributions  and  personal  efforts  have  placed 
this  model  of  an  early  home  in  western  wilds  where  it 
now  stands,  and  where  it  will,  we  trust,  witness  a  bi-cen- 
tennial.  You  will  occasionally  see  in  riding  through  the 
county,  a  few  of  these  structures,  greatly  dilapidated  and 
deserted,  yet  left  standing,  as  if  spared  because  of  the 
tender  associations  of  "home  and  hearth"  that  linger 
around  them.  Dark  and  cheerless-looking,  doorless  and 
roofless,  they  do  not  suggest  the  idea  of  a  pleasant  coun- 
try residence,  and  would  not  figure  as  such  in  a  photo- 
graph displayed  in  the  window  of  a  real  estate  agent. 
But  this  is  a  solid  structure,  genuine  and  .true  in  its  fea- 
tures, save,  perhaps,  the  modern  luxury  of  glass  windows, 
which  were  unknown  to  early  settlers. 

We  have  said  this  "log  cabin"  was  suggestive.  It 
tells  of  the  will,  the  purpose  and  enterprise,  which  led 

4 


52  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL. 

the  pioneer  to  leave  the  more  assured  comforts  of  eastern 
civilization,  for  greater  liberty  and  the  hopeful  possibili- 
ties of  a  western  fortune.  It  tells  of  the  hardy  endur- 
ance, of  the  patient  toil  and  brave  perseverance  of  the 
settlers,  and  aU  through  the  story  runs  the  golden  thread 
of  woman's  loving  faithfulness,  the  giving  up  of  assured 
comforts,  leaving  of  home  and  kindred  and  "mother." 


"To  follow  where  he  leads  her, 
Leaving  all  things  for  the  stranger.'' 

Mrs.  Sigourney,  in  her  poem  of  the  "Emigrant,"  has 
touched  this  chord  with  inimitable  pathos,  when  she 
writes : 

Ha !  was  it  so  my  wife, 
Did  I  not  see  thee  brush  away  a  tear? 
Thy  heart  was  in  the  halls  of  thy  nativity, 
Carpets  and  sofas  and  admiring  guests, 
Refit  thee  better  than  these  rude  walls, 
And  this  lone  hermit  home. 

You  will  find,  to-day,  on  the  honor  roll  of  the  Alumni 
of  Hobart  and  Union  Colleges,  in  the  pulpit,  on  the 
bench,  at  the  bar,  and  in  legislative  halls  of  the  nation, 
the  names  of  the  children  born  and  reared  in  these  hum- 
ble cabins — strongmen,  mentally  and  physically,  the  bone 
and  sinew  of  the  Excelsior  State. 

They  tell  us  their  "log  homes"  were  warm.  The  thick 
logs  formed  walls  which,  when  plastered  with  mud,  kept 
out  the  cold,  but  possibly  the  warm  hearts  which  met  of 
winter  evenings,  around  the  great  glowing,  snapping  back- 
log and  fore-stick  on  the  hearth,  had  something  to  do 
with  "keeping  out  the  cold."  Having  the  good  fortune 
to  meet  on  the  ground  the  gentleman  to  whom  the  erect- 
ing of  the  cabin  is  due,  he  kindly  explained  the  primitive 
construction  of  chimneys  in  those  times,  and  it  needed 
only  one  touch  of  the  magic  wand  of  imagination,  to 
kindle  the  wood,  already  arranged  for  lighting,  into  curl- 
ing flame  and  red  ember.  From  the  top  of  the  cabin 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  53 

there  rises  clear  and  graceful  as  a  northern  streamer  when 
the  Aurora  Borealis  lights  the  winter  sky,  the  prettiest 
pine  tree  that  ever  grew.  Seventy  feet  it  pierces  the  blue 
ether,  with  a  'taper  that  no  obelisk  of  Egypt  can  equal. 
Long  may  the  banner  of  the  Empire  State  wave  from  its 
lofty  summit." 

THE   PATRONS  OF   HUSBANDRY. 

"A  farmer's  life,  is  the  life  for  me, 

I  own,  I  love  it  dearly, 
And  every  season  full  of  glee, 

I  take  its  labors  cheerly." 

At  a  meeting  of  Seneca  County  Council  of  the  Patrons 
of  Husbandry,  held  August  fourteenth,  representing  the 
several  Granges,  (with  their  membership  of  eight  hun- 
dred, composed  of  the  sturdy  representative  farmers  of 
the  several  towns,  their  wives,  sons  and  daughters)  action 
was  taken  to  secure  the  attendance  at  <  he  Celebration,  of 
a  representation  from  the  several  Granges  in  the  County, 
and  a  committee  of  seven,  consisting  of  Israel  B.  Haines, 
E.  J.  Schoonmaker,  Uriel  D.  Belles,  E.  Seeley  Bartlett, 
J.  B.  Whiting,  Mrs.  L.  G.  Lewis  and  Miss  Jennie  Burr, 
were  appointed  to  make  arrangements  therefor. 

Subsequently  a  special  committee  of  one  from  each 
Grange  was  appointed  to  prepare  and  arrange  a  grand  car, 
representative  of  the  order,  decorated  with  the  products 
of  husbandry — grain,  fruits  and  flowers. 

The  committee  was  composed  as  follows  : 
ROSE  HILL   GRANGE— Robert  Baster. 
MAGEE'S  CORNERS  "  — R.  A.  Livingston. 
KENDAIA  ••  — C.  C.  Pontius. 

JUNIUS  '•  —Gideon  Bowdish. 

WEST  FAYETTE       "—  Wm.  Andrews. 
EAST  FAYETTE        " — Myron  H.  Cosad. 
SENECA  "  —  Fred  B.  Swaby. 

OVID  "  — Theodore  Dowers. 

LODI  '•  — S.  B.  Bluntly. 


54  SKXECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

The  committee  was  authorized  to  add  to  its  numbers, 
and  wisely  chose  the  wives  of  the  several  members, 
whose  admirable  taste  and  handiwork,  ( notably  that  of 
the  wife  of  the  chairman),  contributed  greatly  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  undertaking— in  presenting  a  magnificently 
decorated  car,  which  was,  pa?'  excellence,  the  great  at- 
traction of  the  procession. 

It  is  proper  to  make  a  record  l\pre  of  the  names  of  the 
officers  of  the  Seneca  County  Council  of  the  Patrons  of 
Husbandry  for  1879,  to-wit : 

Hon.  Wm.  W.  Vandemark.  Junius  Grange.  Master. 

Isaac  N.  Bodine,  Ovid  Grange.  Overseer. 

E.  P.  Coles,  Kendaia  Grange,  Lecturer. 

Henry  C.  Rolfe,  Ovid  Grange,  Steward. 

Christopher  Peterson,  Farmer  Village  Grange,  Ass't  Steward. 

Herman  D.  Eastman.  Lodi  Grange.  Chaplain. 

Myron  H.  Cosad,  East  Favette  Grange  Treasurer. 

E.  Seeley  Bartlett,  Kendaia  Grange,  Secretary. 

Edney  Smith,  Rose  Hill  Grange,  Gate  Keeper. 

Mrs.  Gideon  Bowdish.  Junius  Granee,  Ceres. 

Mrs.  Joshua  Hinkley,  Seneca  Grange.  Pomona. 

Mrs.  E.  J.  Schoonmaker,  Magee's  Corners  Grange,  Flora. 

Mrs.  Wm.  Van  Nostrand.  Kendaia  Grange,  Lady  Ass't  Steward. 

VETERAN   SOLDIERS. 

The  soldiers  of  the  late  war,  1861-1865,  residing  in  Sen- 
eca County,  in  response  to  the  invitation  of  the  executive 
committee,  took  early  measures  to  secure  representation 
at  the  Celebration,  and  at  an  informal  meeting  of  such 
soldiers,  held  at  Waterloo,  August  fifteenth,  the  follow- 
ing resolution  was  adopted  and  ordered  to  be  published 
in  the  newspapers  of  Seneca  and  adjoining  Counties  : 

"  Resolved,  That   the  ex-soldiers    of  Waterloo  invite 
ry  ex-soldier,    sailor  and  marine  in  Seneca  County,  to 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  55 

participate  in  the  Celebration  of  Gen.  Sullivan' s  Campaign, 
to  be  held  at  Waterloo,  September  third,  and  that  each 
"Vet.''  be  requested  to  bring  his  own  knife  and  fork,  and 
everything  else  will  be  provided." 

How  well  the  brave  soldiers  of  Seneca  County  respond- 
ed to  this  call,  the  large  procession  on  the  day  of  the 
Celebration,  of  members  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public, and  of  Veteran  Soldiers  in  citizens'  dress,  attested. 

SKOI-YASE   MONUMENT. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  in  the  History  of  the 
Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  published  here- 
with, to  the  action  of  that  Society,  providing  for  the 
erection  in  the  Village  Park  of  a  monument  commemora- 
tive of  the  destruction  by  Col.  John  Harper,  by  command 
of  Gen.  Sullivan,  of  the  Indian  village  of  Skoi-yase,  lo- 
cated upon  the  site  of  the  village  of  Waterloo.  It  is 
only  necessary  to  add,  in  this  connection,  that  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  monument  formed  one  of  the  interesting 
features  of  the  Celebration  day. 

GRAND  STAND. 

The  committee  on  Decoration  spared  no  time  or  expense 
in  fitting  up  a  Grand  Stand  at  the  Fair  Grounds,  a  de- 
scription of  which  appears  elsewhere,  and  which,  as 
completed  and  decorated,  was  the  admiration  of  every 
visitor.  In  the  prosecution  of  its  labors,  the  committee 
received  from  Hon.  Wm.  H.  Bogart  of  Aurora,  (who  from 
the  beginning,  took  a  very  commendable  interest  in  the 
Celebration,}  and  from  others, many  valuable  suggestions 
which  were  duly  regarded. 

AN    EXPLORING   EXPEDITION. 

During  the  summer  preceding  the  celebration,  several 


56  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

exploring  expeditions  started  out  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  to  deter- 
mine the  line  of  march  of  the  army  of  General  Sullivan 
across  Seneca  County,  as  well  as  of  the  detachments  of 
Col.  Henr\*  Dearborn,  Col.  John  Harper  and  Col.  Peter 
Gansevoort.  These  expeditions  were  under  the  direction 
and  supervision  of  Gen.  John  S.  Clark  of  Auburn,  an 
accomplished  antiquarian,  historian  and  surveyor,  and 
with  him  were  associated  at  different  times,  Mr.  C.  Marsena 
Hubbard  of  the  Seneca  County  Courier,  (who  furnished 
that  newspaper  with  a  series  of  very  interesting  historical 
articles  relating  thereto,)  Messrs.  Frederick  H.  Furniss. 
Francis  Bacon  and  H.  F.  Gustin  of  "Waterloo,  and  Mr. 
Geo.  S.  Conover  of  Geneva,  an  enthusiast  in  historical 
research. 

THE   LOCAL   NEWSPAPER   PRESS. 

It  is  but  just  to  remark  here,  that  the  newspaper  press 
of  the  County,  from  the  inception  of  the  Celebration,  were 
careful  to  familiarize  their  readers  with  the  history  of  Sul- 
livan's Campaign,  and  to  inform  them  of  each  step  taken 
in  preparation  for  its  observance,  also  publishing  in  the 
meantime  many  interesting  articles  relating  to  the  early 
history  of  the  County,  and  of  its  several  towns.* 

In  addition  to  newspaper  mention,  the  public  were  ad- 
vised of  the  attractions  of  the  Celebration,  through  a 
beautiful  and  tastily  gotten-up  poster,  and  thus,  one  by 
one,  the  details  for  the  Celebration  were  all  carefully  at- 
tended to. 

ORDER   OF   MARCH,    &C. 

The  order  of  march  and  programme  of  the  grand  pro- 


*Many  historical  events,  facts  and  circumstances,  were  thus  brought  out  and  pre- 
?rved.    It  is  proper  to  add,  that  during  the  year,  a  History  of  the  Seneca  Baptist  As- 
xrtation,  was  published  by  Rev.  Lewis  Halsey  of  Farmer  Village,  a  publication  replete 
with  local  information,  and  written  in  a  pleasing  and  attractive  style. 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.      -  57 

cession,  *  as  arranged  by-  Grand  Marshal  Guion  of  Seneca 
Falls,  under  date  of  August  twenty-seventh,  was  so  ad- 
mirably considered  and  perfected,  that,  with  the  help  of 
his  aids,  he  was  enabled  to  execute  the  same  on  the  day 
of  the  celebration  with  comparatively  little  change. 

The  line  of  march  on  that  occasion  was  taken  up  and 
conducted  throughout  with  a  precision  and  regularity 
which  elicited  universal  praise. 

AWAITING  THE   DENOUEMENT. 

The  month  of  September  was  ushered  in  ;  the  arrange- 
ments in  detail  for  the  Celebration  had  been  substantially 
perfected,  and  all  that  remained  to  complete  its  success, 
were  propitious  skies  and  pleasant  weather,  and  the  attend- 
ance of  those  who  were  expected  to  take  a  part  in  its  pro- 
ceedings. 

A  drought  had  prevailed  for  weeks,  and  while  rain 
was  anxiously  desired  to  cool  the  atmosphere  and  to 
water  the  parched  earth,  in  advance  of  Celebration 
day,  no  rain  came,  and  when  Tuesday,  September  second, 
dawned  clear  and  with  a  hot,  oppressive  atmosphere, 
many  prayers  were  offered  up  for  good  weather  upon  the 
morrow,  and  the  weather  bulletins  of  "  Old  Probabilities" 
were  eagerly  consulted. 

ARRIVAL   AND    RECEPTION   OF   GUESTS,  &C. 

During  this  day,  a  number  of  guests  from  abroad  and 
former  residents  of  Seneca  County,  arrived,  and  the  eve- 
ning trains  which  were  to  bring  the  Orator  of  the  day,  and 
a  portion  of  the  military,  were  awaited  with  much 
interest. 

The  following  extract  from  the  Waterloo  Observer,  de- 
scribes the  reception  accorded  themr  by  the  people  of 
Waterloo : 


*See  Appendix. 


58  4     SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

"The  reception  committee,  accompanied  by  the  Water- 
loo Comet  Band  and  an  immense  concourse  of  people, 
iiiMirhed  to  the  depot  to  receive  Lieu  tenant- Governor 
Dorfsheimer,  Brigadier-General  Hawley,  commanding  the 
lorh  Brigade,  N.  G.,  S.  N.  Y.,  and  staff,  consisting  of 
Lieut.  Col.  J.  H.  Hinman,  Maj.  E.  O.  Farrar,  Maj.  W.  A. 
Butler,  Maj.  R.  R.  Gardner,  Capt.  J.  M.  Belden,  Capt, 
Robt.  Townsend,  and  Lieut,  F.  P.  Denison ;  Col.  W.  R. 
Chamberlain  of  the  staff  of  Maj.  Gen.  Daniel  P.  Wood, 
Sixth  Division,  and  Capt,  Paul  Birchmeyer's  Battery. 

Upon  their  arrival  they  were  escorted  to  the  residence 
of  Major  M.  D.  Mercer,  where  an  informal  reception  was 
held.  The  band  serenaded  the  distinguished  guests  with 
a  number  of  fine  selections,  and  Mr.  Dorsheimer  being 
called  for  by  the  vast  assemblage  of  people  outside,  Hon. 
A.  L.  Childs  appeared  on  the  front  steps,  and,  in  a  few  ap- 
propriate remarks,  introduced  the  Lieutenant-Governor. 

Mr.  Dorsheimer' s  appearance  was  greeted  with  cheers, 
and  when  the  demonstrations  had  partly  subsided,  he 
thanked  the  people  in  a  brief  but  interesting  speech,  for 
the  cordial  manner  in  which  he  had  been  received.  He  said 
that  he  was  amazed  and  gratified  at  the  enthusiastic  re- 
ception which  had  been  tendered  him ;  that  he  was 
wearied  with  a  long  and  dusty  journey,  and  that  on  the 
morrow,  it  would  give  him  great  pleasure  to  address  them 
upon  a  subject  in  commemoration  of  which  the  celebration 
was  inaugurated.  Yet  he  would  say,  before  bidding  them 
good-night,  that  Seneca  County,  and  especially  Waterloo, 
seemed  very  near  and  dear  to  him,  on  account  of  its  once 
having  been  the  residence  of  his  father.  He  then  alluded 
to  his  father,  (the  late  Hon.  Philip  Dorsheimer,  a  native 
of  Germany,)  who,  when  a  poor  youth,  settled  in  Water- 
loo, to  follow  his  trade  of  miller.  He  said  it  was  this 
association,  more  than  anything  else,  that  led  him  to 
the  invitation  extended  by  the  committee,  to  de- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  59 

liver  the  oration,  and  that  he  was  highly  gratified  to  have 
the  honor  of  addressing  the  citizens  of  Seneca  County, 
upon  so  important  an  occasion  as  the  one  hundredth  anni- 
versary of  General  Sullivan's  Campaign. 

General  Hawley  was  next  called  for  and  courteously 
responded.  He  said  he  was  a  military  man,  and  not 
much  of  a  speech-maker,  but  that  he  had  a  man  on  his 
staff  who  was  equal  to  such  occasions,  and  that  he  would 
speak  for  him.  He  then  introduced  Major  Farrar,  who 
very  handsomely  returned  the  compliments  of  Gen.  Haw- 
ley  and  his  staff,  for  the  enthusiastic  reception  tendered 
them." 


6()  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTNENIAL 


,  SEPTEMBER  TEIB9,  1879, 


"THE  DAY  WE  CELEBRATE." 

Day  dawned  with  moderate  temperature  and  skies  over- 
cast —  barometer  indicating  rain. 

The  day  was  ushered  in  by  a  salute  fired  with  the  old 
village  gun,  "Little  Mac,"  by  Mr.  Frederick  C.  Brehm, 
and  the  bells  in  the  village  rang  out  a  merry  peal  from 
one  end  thereof  to  the  other.  From  nearly  every  window 
and  house-top,  particularly  upon  the  line  of  march  of  the 
;procession,  there  was  a  brilliant  display  of  bunting,  flags 
and  streamers,  floating  in  the  breeze,  while  nearly  all  of 
the  buildings,  public  and  private,  were  elaborately  deco- 
rated and  festooned  ;  in  fact  the  whole  village  was  decked 
in  holiday  attire.  The  scene  was  enchanting  and  calcu- 
lated to  awaken  enthusiasm  and  patriotic  feeling  in  the 
jnost  stoic  heart. 

THE  DECORATIONS. 

For  the  following  account  of  the  decorations,  most  con- 
spicuous and  striking,  throughout  the  village,  the  publi- 
cation committee  are  indebted  to  the  gifted  pen  of  Rev. 
George  Wallace  of  Waterloo  : 

"Any  description  of  the  events  of  our  third  of  Septem- 
ber, 1879,  would  be  incomplete  without  special  mention 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  61 

of  the  decorations  displayed  upon  public  buildings,  stores, 
offices  and  private  dwellings. 

Upon  many  a  building  there  arose,  for  the  first  time  in 
its  history,  its  liberty  pole.  Busy  merchants  for  days 
previous  to  the  commemoration,  dispensed  more  flags, 
bunting  and  other  materials  for  decoration  than  ever 
floated  on  the  breeze  in  all  the  visions  of  their  dreams. 

Transparencies  of  varied  designs  were  abundant,  and 
these  with  a  multitude  of  Chinese  lanterns,  hanging  un- 
der trees,  in  doorways,  from  piazzas  and  arches,  gave 
promise  of  brilliant  and  beautiful  illumination.  China, 
the  oldest  of  the  nations,  in  these  simple  articles,  fash- 
ioned after  the  handiwork  of  her  people,  gave  witness  to 
the  onward  progress  of  the  nation  of  a  hundred  years, 
now  in  the  march  of  Anglo-Saxon  civilization,  girdling 
the  globe  and  stretching  its  arms  across  the  great  Pacific, 
in  the  meeting  of  the  west  and  east. 

Across  and  above  the  streets,  on  broad  banners,  were 
portrayed  brief  records  of  the  valorous  deeds  of  our  hero, 
who  proved  his  patriotism  before  he  led  his  famous 
expedition  against  the  Six  Nations. 

At  the  west  end  of  Main  street,  where  the  column 
formed  in  line  of  march,  we  read : 

:  THE   LONG  HOUSE    OPENED   WESTWARD.    : 

Upon  the  Union  School  building  there  ran  the  legend  : 


SKOI-YASE, 

HE-O-WEH-GNO-GEK, 

Once  a  Home,  Now  a  Memory. 


SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

In  the  business  centre  of  the  village  there  appeared' 


Our  Victory  was  Dear-born,  but  has  Long 
Life. 


MAJ.  GEN.  JOHN  SULLIVAN, 

The  Rebel  of  17*4, 
The  Tried  and  True  Patriot, 
The  Friend  of  Washington. 


New  York  Honors  the  Memory  of  the 
Brave  Son  of  New  Hampshire. 


Durham  Pulpit  gave  the 
COUP-DE-GRACE  AT  BUNKER  HILL. 


At  the  intersection  of  Virginia  and  Main  streets  there 
was  a  large 

WELCOME  ! 

as  though  to  concentrate  and  intensify  the '  'welcomes' '  dis- 
played without  number  on  public  buildings  and  private 
dwellings,  banners  and  streamers. 

Everywhere  also  were  to  be  seen 

:  1779,  SULLIVAN,  1879.  : 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  63 

1779.  HARPER,  1879.  : 


Upon  the  log  cabin,  the  description  of  which  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  there  was  the  inscrip- 
tion : 


From  the  Ashes  of  the  Wigwam. 

The  Tnion  School  was  brilliant  in  its  gay  adorning 
of  the  tri -color  of  our  banner,  as  though  rejoicing  that 
education  in  the  peaceful  humanities  had  displaced  the 
primitive  school,  where  the  young  warrior  learned  the  arts 
of  savage  warfare,  and  the  young  squaw  too  soon  began 
her  education  in  the  severe  lessons  of  her  burdened  life. 

The  flags  and  bunting  on  roof,  in  window  and  on  front 
of  stores,  rehearsed  the  story  of  the  arts  and  trades  and 
commerce  of  an  age  of  peace.  The  exquisite  taste  of 
woman  was  shown  in  the  decoration  of  Christian  homes 
with  flower  and  vine,  with  graceful  draperies,  with  ban- 
ners hung  aloft,  by  clear  transparencies  among  the  leaves 
of  living  green,  and  by  innumerable  tapers,  deftly  placed 
to  symbolize,  as  it  were,  the  inner  light  and  glory  of  these . 
homes,  whose  hearths  have  drawn  their  cheering  warmth 
from  the  camp  fires  of  the  soldiers  in  the  wilderness. 

There  was  a  veritable  Indian  wigwam  to  be  seen  before 
the  door  of  a  pleasant  home,  beneath  the  foliage  of  a 
mighty  oak,  recalling,  in  its  structure,  its  furniture  and 
adornments,  the  homes  of  men  a  century  ago. 

The  wheels  of  the  factories  were  still.  The  looms  stood 
silent  and  looked  out  of  the  window  to  see  the  pageant 
go  by — but  not  until  they  had  flung  out  their  banners  to 
the  summer  breeze.  The  passer-by  might  say: — 'Here, 


64  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

where  the  Indian  maiden  sat  beside  the  shining  river, 
adorning  the  moccasins  of  her  chief  with  the  colored 
quills  of  the  porcupine,  now  the  skilled  hands  of  trained 
industry  weave  into  beautiful  and  durable  clothing,  the 
wool  of 'the  far-off  Australian  land,  dyed  in  many  hues.' 

Main,  Inslee,  Williams,  Virginia  and  JNorth  streets, 
throughout  the  whole  line  of  the  procession,  removing 
all  that  might  seem  unsightly,  even  the  dust  that  might 
arise,  put  on  their  best  array,  hung  out  their  banners  of 
welcome,  and  cried:  "  All  Hail !" 

The  Waterloo  Observer,  which  has  been  so  often  quoted 
herein,  on  account  of  its  very  full  accounts  of  the  cele- 
bration, after  referring  to  the  location  of  the  press  tent 
adjoining  the  log  cabin,  gives  the  following  description  of 
the  arrangements  at  the  Fair  Grounds,  and  of  the  decor- 
ations at  the  grand  stand  therein  : 

"Extending  south  and  east  from  the  press  tent  was  a 
long  line  of  tents  occupied  by  the  committees,  the  Grand 
Army  and  ex-soldiers,  and  the  citizens  of  the  ten  towns 
of  Seneca  County.  North  of  the  tents,  and  in  plain  view 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  grounds,  was  the  grand  stand, 
sixty-five  feet  in  length  and  containing  accommodations 
.for  five  hundred  persons.  It  was  most  tastefully  decorated 
and  reflected  great  credit  upon  its  builder,  Mr.  Chas. 
W.  Pratt  of  Waterloo.  So  handsomely  was  it  trimmed,  and 
so  numerous  were  the  compliments  paid  it,  that  we  think 
a  brief  description  wrill  be  interesting  to  our  readers.  Its 
foundation  was  the  grand  stand  of  the  Fair  Grounds. 
The  cornice,  frieze  and  columns  were  fully  draped  with 
red,  white  and  blue  bunting.  Directly  in  the  center  and 
in  front  of  the  stand  was  the  speaker's  platform  16  by  20 
feet,  covered  and  ornamented  with  the  national  colors. 
Above  the  balustrade  was  a  tablet  8  by  13  feet  inscribed  as 
follows : 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  65 

'  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  Congress  be  given  to 
his  Excellency,  Gen.  Washington,  for  directing,  and  to 
Major-General  Sullivan  and  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers 
under  his  command,  for  effectually  conducting,  an  impor- 
tant expedition  against  such  of  the  Indian  nations,  as,  en- 
couraged by  the  counsels  and  conducted  by  the  officers  of 
his  Britannic  Majesty,  had  perfidiously  waged  an  unpro- 
voked and  cruel  war  against  these  United  States.' 

This  banner  was  surmounted  with  a  large  shield  bear- 
ing the  honored  name  of  Sullivan,  from  which  sprung  the 
allied  banners.  On  a  line  with  the  top  of  the  balustrade 
were  four  smaller  shields  bearing  the  names  of  Clinton, 
Maxwell,  Hand  and  Poor.  On  a  line  beneath  these  dec- 
orated shields  were  the  names  of  Harper,  Dearborn,  Butler, 
Gansevoort  and  Scott,  while  underneath  were  pendants 
of  green  silk  inscribed  with  the  names  of  the  Indian  vil- 
lages, Skoi-yase,  Ken-dai-a,  Swah-ya-wa-na,  Cho-ha-ra,  Con- 
daw-haw,  and  Skan-na-yu-te-nate.  Rising  above  the  Sul- 
livan shield,  was  a  staff  bearing  the  national  flag,  while  on 
either  side,  on  staffs  slightly  lower,  were  the  national 
colors  of  our  allies,  the  French,  Spanish  and  Dutch  flags, 
and  the  thirteen-starred  flag  of  the  revolution.  Above 
the  speaker's  stand,  in  large  letters,  was  the  inscrip- 
tion : 


1779 — FROM    BARBARISM  TO  CIVILIZATION — 1879. 


while  directly  in  front  of  the  stand  was  a  green  shield  bear- 
ing the  familiar  name, '  'Skoi-yase. ' '  The  scene  within  the 
grounds,  as  viewed  from  the  entrance,  was  one  of  striking 
beauty  and  grandeur.  On  the  one  side  was  the  grand 
stand,  rich  in  its  profusion  of  colored  bunting,  banners 
and  evergreens,  while  stretching  away  to  the  right  were 
the  tents  of  the  respective  towns  and  committees,  all 


66  SENECA   COUNTY   CEXTEXXIAL 

forming  a  most  magnificent  spectacle,  and  one  never  to  be 
forgotten." 

To  the  committee  on  decorations,  whose  skill,  taste  and 
enthusiasm  developed  so  much  that  was  fair  to  look  upon; 
to  the  citizens,  wives  and  daughters,  whose  art  for  adorn- 
ing revealed  itself  everywhere  in  things  of  beauty ;  and 
to  many  friends  in  Geneva,  Seneca  Falls,  Aurora,  and 
other  neighboring  towns,  who  sent  flags  and  banners,  and 
came  themselves  to  mingle  in  the  general  joy,  the -local 
committees  owe  their  warmest  thanks.  When  they  keep 
holiday  in  memory  of  a  stirring  event  of  national  or  local 
interest,  "may  we  be  there  to  see."" 

THE    OUTPOURING   OF  THE   MASSES. 

"  Come,  as  the  winds  coine  when  forests  are  rended ; 
Come,  as  the  waves  come  when  navies  are~stranded." 

Soon  after  sunrise  the  masses  of  the  people  from  the 
interior  of  the  county  began  to  arrive  in  the  village,  young 
and  old,  on  foot,  on  horseback,  and  in  all  manner  of  con- 
veyances, from  the  light  phaeton  and  pleasure  carnage,  to 
the  heavy  and  substantial  fanner's  wagon, — every  one 
attired  in  holiday  garb,  and  bent  upon  enjoying  the 
day,  with  a  light  and  happy  heart. 

The  early  morning  trains  upon  the  New  York  Central 
railroad  came  in  heavily  laden  with  passengers,  and  dur- 
ing the  day  extra  trains  were  run  at  frequent  intervals  to 
convey  the  crowds  of  people  thronging  the  railway  sta- 
tions for  many  miles,  east  and  west, '  'bound  for  Waterloo. ' ' 
From  Seneca  Lake  small  steamers  brought  their  loads  of 
human  freight  from  the  south  part  of  the  county  and 
from  Geneva,  without  transhipment,  through  Seneca  River 
to  -Waterloo,  while  from  Seneca  Falls,  the  somewhat 
primitive  mode  of  travel  by  canal  boat  was  revived  to 
a  partial  extent,  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  travel. 

In  the  large  village  of  Seneca  Falls,  four  miles  to  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  67 

eastward,  many  of  the  extensive  manufactories  suspended 
operations  for  the  day,  to  enable  their  employees  to  attend 
the  celebration,  and  business  was  generally  abandoned,, 
so  great  was  the  outpouring  of  its  people  to  the  celebra- 
tion. 

Many  of  the  people  from  the  south  towns  of  the  county 
came  by  the  Geneva  and  Ithaca  railroad  to  Geneva,  and 
thence  by  the  New  York  Central. 

The  large  attendance  from  localities  outside  of  the 
county,  Geneva,  Phelpsand  other  towns  to  the  westward, 
and  from  Auburn,  Cayuga,  and  other  points  eastward, 
caused  much  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  trains. 

The  representation  of  young  ladies  dressed  in  white 
from  Romulus  and  Junius,  coming  a  long  distance  over- 
land, in  handsomely  arranged  vehicles,  arrived  early  at 
the  appointed  place  of  rendezvous. 

A  large  delegation  from  the  town  of  Fayette  consisting 
of  a  troop  of  mounted  men, bands  of  music,  and  an  elabor- 
ately decorated  carriage  with  young  ladies  in  white,  ready 
at  a  moment's  notice  to  fall  into  line  in  the  procession, 
assembled  at  an  early  hour  at  South  Waterloo. 

The  Grangers  of  the  county,  with  their  magnificently 
arranged  and  decorated  car,  assembled  at  the  residence 
of  Mr.  Robert  Baster,  near  the  Fair  Grounds,  whence 
they  early  reported  themselves  in  readiness  to  take  their 
place  in  the  procession. 

The  soldiers  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and 
the  veterans  of  the  late  civil  war  were  also  promptly  at 
their  appointed  place  of  meeting,  ready  to  fall  into  line 
at  the  tap  of  the  drum,  under  the  direction  of  Commander 
John  A.  Casterlin. 

The  delegation  from  Seneca  Falls,  consisting  of  a 
troop  of  mounted  men  from  that  town,  escorted  by  a  de- 

5 


68  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

tarhment  of  the  Yates  Dragoons  from  Syracuse,  with  a 
handsomely  arranged  car  with  young  ladies  dressed  in 
white,  a  number  of  veterans  of  1812,  and  a  representa- 
tion of  the  industrial  interests  of  Seneca  Falls,  arrived  at 
Waterloo,  shortly  before  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M. 

The  Forty-Ninth  Regiment  of  the  National  Guard, 
S.  N.  Y.,  came  by  special  train  from  the  east,  and  did  not 
reach  Waterloo  until  eleven  o'clock. 

The  labors  of  General  Guion,  Grand  Marshal  of  the 
day,  now  actively  began. 

"  And  there  was  mounting  in  hot  haste;  the  steed, 
The  mustering  squadron,  and  the  clattering  car, 
Went  pouring  forward  with  impetuous  speed, 
And  swiftly  forming  in  the  ranks,  etc." 

Under  the  well  directed  arrangements  of  the  Grand  Mar- 
shal and  his  assistants,  however,  the  numerous  and  diver- 
sified organizations  in  attendance  were  speedily  formed 
into  line,  and  at  twelve  o'clock  noon,  the  signal  gun 
sounded. and  the  procession  began  to  move  with  precision 
—the  line  of  march  extending  from  the  west  end  of  Main 
street  (and  west  end  of  the  village)  down  Main  street  to 
Inslee,  through  Inslee  to  Williams,  up  Williams  to  Vir- 
ginia, through  Virginia  to  North,  through  North  to 
Swift,  and  through  Swift  to  Maple  Grove  Fair  Grounds, 
a  distance  of  two  and  one-quarter  miles — the  procession 
being  nearly  two  miles  in  length — and  requiring  a  full 
hour  to  pass  a  given  Doint. 

The  following  was  the  order  of  the  procession,  as  actu- 
ally carried  out,  (some  changes  having  been  occasioned  by 
reason  of  the  non-attendance  of  several  organizations  and 
the  attendance  of  some  'others  not  named  on  the  pro- 
gramme of  the  Grand  Marshal)  to-wit : 

FIRST  DIVISION. 

Platoon  of  mounted  police, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  69 

in  charge  of  Sheriff  Peter  U.  VanCleef. 
Assistants :  E.  Nugent,  A.  C.  Clark,  M.  Moore. 

Grand  Marshal :    Gen.  George  M.  Guion. 

Asst.  Marshals  :  Gen.  J.  B.  Murray,  Maj.  J.  K.  Loring, 
A.  S.  Holenbeck,  J.  W.  Day. 

Aids  to  Grand  Marshal :    Capt.  H.  X.  Ramsey,  I.  L.  Huff. 

Forty-Ninth  Regiment  Band. 
Brig.  Gen.  J.  Dean  Hawley,  Tenth  Brigade, and  staff. 

Forty-Ninth  Regiment,  National  Guard,   S.   N.   Y.,  Col. 

Jay  E.  Storke,  commanding,  with  eight  companies, 

total  strength,    368  men. 

Battery  H  Artillery,  Tenth  Brigade,  S.  N.  Y.  Capt,  Paul 

Birchmeyer,  26  men,  with  two  twelve 

pounder  Howitzer  guns. 

Following  in  carriages : 

Hon.  Josiah  T.  Miller — President  of  the  Day. 

Hon.  Win.  Dorsheimer — Orator. 

John  Reamer.  Esq. — President  of  Tillage  of  Waterloo. 

Diedrich  Willers,  Jr.,  Samuel  R.  Welles — Secretaries. 

Rev.  David  Craft— Historian. 

Rev.  D wight  Williams — Poet, 

Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Gridley,  Rev.  P.  E.  Smith— Chaplains. 

Vice-Presidents  of  the  Day. 

Sullivan  Executive  Committee. 

Pioneer  Settlers  of  the  County. 

Veterans  of  the  War  of  1812. 

Invited  Guests. 

The  Reverend  Clergy. 

Countv  Officers. 


70  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Waterloo  Cornet  Band. 

Village  Officers    of   Waterloo    and  Local  Comittees  in 

Carriages. 

Tally-ho  Coach  containing  representation  of  young  ladies 
of  Waterloo,  dressed  in  white. 

Ancient  Carriage,  once  owned  by  President  Van  Buren, 

in  which  the  Marquis  DeLafayette  was  conveyed 

on  his  tour  through  Seneca  County,  in 

1825,  now  owned  by  Mr.  Orville 

Maynard  of  Waterloo. 

SECOND  DIVISION. 

Mead's  Brass  Band  of  Geneva. 

Ontario  Encampment  No.  84,  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  of  Geneva;  twenty-five  men  in  full 
Patriarchal  uniform  and  regalia,  '  under 
direction  of  its  principal  officer, 

J.  P.  Inman,  Captain. 
Grand  Army  Band  of  Seneca  Falls. 

Tyler  J.  Snyder  Post  No.  72,  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 

Republic,  Waterloo,  John  A.  Casterlin, 

Commander;  90  men. 

Cross  Post  No.  78,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Seneca 
Falls,  James  Dillon,  Commander;  50  men. 

Swift  Post,  No.  74, Grand  Army,  of  the  Republic, Geneva, 
Herman  T.  Fox,  Commander;  40  men. 

Independent  Battery  of  young   men   attached  to  Swift 

Post,  G-.   A.   R.,   Geneva;  20  men  in  uniform, 

with  their  cannon,  the  little  "Spitfire;" 

J.  B.  Gaylord,  Commanding. 

Gordon  Granger  Post , No.  7, Grand  .Army  of  the  Republic, 
Phelps,  L.  P.  Thompson,  Commander;  20  men. 

Soldiersof  the  war  of  186 1-1865, not  attached  to  the  Grand 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  71 

Army  of  the  Republic;  500  men  in  citizens1  dress. 

The  Veteran  Soldiers,  marching  in  columns  of  four,  in 
charge   of  Commander  John   A.    Casterlin. 

Phelps  Brass  Band, 

Seneca  County  Grange, Patrons  of  Husbandry. Hon.  Wm. 
W.VanDemark  of  Junius,  Grand  Master; with  grand 
car, appropriately  decorated  with  the  products  of 
husbandry,  with  impersonations  of  Ceres,  Po- 
mona and  Flora, followed  by  delegations 
from  the  subordinate  Granges  of  the 
County  in  carriages,  two  abreast, 
to  the  number  of  about  100 
vehicles,  and  more  than 
300   Grangers. 

THIRD  DIVISION — COVERT   AND    LODI. 

Centennial  Committees,  Officers  and  Citizens  in  carriages. 
Town  Marshals — Isaac  H.  Stout,  Homer  Booram. 

FOURTH    DIVISION — FAYETTE. 

Canoga  Brass  Band. 

Carriage  containing   representation  of    young  ladies  of 
Fayette,  dressed  in  white. 

Centennial  Committee,  Officers  and  Citizens  in  carriages. 
Skoi-yase  Martial  Band. 

Troop  of  lOO  Mounted  Men,  under  the  direction  of  Uriel  D. 

Belles,Town  Marshal,  ChaunceyL  Becker 

and  Isaac  D. Burroughs,  Assistants. 

FIFTH    DIVISION — JUNIUS. 

Junius  Martial  Band. 

Carriage    containing    representation  of  young  ladies   of 
Junius,  dressed  in  white. 


72  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL. 

Centennial  Committee,   Officers  and  Citizens  in  carriages. 

Troop  of  50  Mounted   Men,  under  direction   of   Henry 

Bishop  and  Edward  Dean,  Town  Marshals. 

SIXTH  DIVISION — OVID. 

Centennial  Committee,  Officers  and  Citizens  in  carriages. 
Town  Marshals.— D,  H.  Seeley,  Dr.  A  W.  MciSames. 

SEVENTH   DIVISION — SENECA    FALLS. 

Seneca  Falls  Cornet  Band. 

Centennial   Committee  and  town  and  village  officers  in 

carriages. 

Carriage   containing  representation   of  young  ladies  of 
Seneca  Falls,  dressed  in  white. 

Troop  of  50  Mounted  Men,  under  command  of  Maj.    J. 
Marshall  Guion,  Samuel  Jacoby,  Adjutant,  escort- 
ed by  a  detachment  of  the  Y ates  Dragoons, 
commanded  by  Capt.  Michael  Auer; 
25   men  in  full  uniform  and 
equipments. 

An  exhibit  of  the  manufacturing  industries  of  the  Goulds 

Manufacturing  Company,  and  of  Rumsey  &  Co., 

neatly  arranged  upon  handsome  w  igons. 

Citizens  in  carriages. 

Col.  James  H.  McDonald  and  J.  !X.   Hammond,  Town. 

Marshals. 

EIGHTH  DIVISION — ROMULUS    AND    TARICK. 

Carriage  containing  representation  of  young  ladies  of 

Romulus,  dressed  in  white. 

Centennial  Committees,  Officers  and  Citizens  of  Romulus 
and  Varick,  in  carriages. 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  73 

Geo.    W.   Jacacks,    H.    F.   Troutman,   E.    Cole,    Town 

Marshals. 

NINTH   DIVISION — TYKE. 

Centennial  Committee,  Officers  and  Citizens  in  carriages. 
Town  Marshals. 

TENTH  DIVISION. 

Citizens  in  carriages. 


THE  Procession  reached  the  Fair  Grounds  at  1:45  P.M., 
and  the  officers  of  the  day,  Orator,  Historian,  Poet  and 
invited  guests,  took  position  upon  the  grand  stand. 

Order  having  been  obtained,  the  exercises  began. 

Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Gridley  of  Waterloo,  invoked  the 
Throne  of  Divine  Grace,  in  a  fervent  and  impressive 
prayer. 

John  Reamer,  Esq.,  President  of  the  village  of  Water- 
loo, then  delivered  an  Address  of  Welcome,  to  the  im- 
mense concourse  of  people  in  attendance,  (variously  es- 
timated at  from  10,000  to  20,000  persons,)  in  the  following- 
words: 

LADIES  AND  GENTLEMEN  : 

In  behalf  of  the  village  of  Waterloo,  I  bid  you  wel- 
come on  this  occasion.  We  have  met  to  celebrate  an  event 
which  happened  one  hundred  years  ago.  It  was  an  event 
which  opened  to  the  feet  o£  the  white  man,  the  dark  and 
dangerous  pathways  of  the  forest.  Its  result  has  heen 
to  displace  the  wilderness  and  place  in  its  stead  the  beau- 


74  SKXECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

• 

tif ul  surroundings  that  we  see  to-day.  In  1779  a  few  rude 
wigwams  marked  the  locality  of  our  present  village.  To- 
il: iy  its  site  is  marked  by  houses  of  comfort,  by  mill  and 
factory,  by  church  and  school  house,  and  all  the  indica- 
tions of  industry,  religion,  civilization  and  progress.  One 
hundred  years  ago,  Skoi-yase  offered  a  cold  reception  to 
Sullivan's  men.  To-day  Waterloo  throws  wide  her  doors 
and  gives  to  the  sons  of  these  men  a  royal  welcome. 

It  has  been  the  aim  of  our  efforts  that  this  day  should 
be  one  long  to  be  remembered,  with  pleasure,  by  all  who 
honor  us  with  their  presence.  The  assemblage  before  me 
leads  me  to  hope  that  our  efforts  have  not  been  in  vain. 
While  I  bid  you  welcome  to  our  village,  in  the  name  of 
its  officers,  I  join  to  that  welcome,  the  assurance,  that 
words  of  mine  can  but  feebly  express,  the  warm  and  heart- 
felt greeting  of  each  individual  citizen. 

At  the"  conclusion  of  Mr.  Reamer's  remarks,  Hon.J.T. 
Miller,  President  of  the  Day,  delivered  the  following  ad- 
dress: 

GENTLEMEN—MEMBERS  or  THE  WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND 
HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  ;  FELLOW  CITIZENS  : 

HISTORY  is  made  up  of  a  succession  of  events.  Time  is 
measured  by  epochs. 

We  have  assembled  to-day  to  commemorate  one  of  those 
events,  which,  by  reason  of  its  influence  on  the  destinies 
of  a  people  and  a  continent,  marks  the  beginning  of  an 
epoch,  whose  termination  is  appropriately  fixed  at  the 
close  of  one  hundred  subsequent  revolutions  of  the  sea- 
sons. 

One  hundred  years  ago  these  broad  lands,  now  lying 
unrolled  before  us,  like  a  map  of  the  fabled  gods/and 
presenting  a  surface  of  wondrous  beauty,  variety  and 
grandeur,  were  in  the  possession  and  under  the  control  of 
a  far  different  race  of  people— a  people  loosely  held  to- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  75 

gether  by  some  traditional  form  of  tribal  government  or 
compact — but  existing,  as  they  had  existed  from  their 
first  discovery  on  this  continent,  without  a  knowledge  of 
any  of  the  arts  or  sciences,  ignorant  of  the  use  of  letters 
and  of  numbers,  uninfluenced  by  the  progressive  tenden- 
cies of  the  growing  civilization  of  other  lands,  and  entirely 
unconscious  of  a  divine  revelation. 

As  individuals,  this  primitive  people  possessed  courage, 
endurance,  fortitude,  at  times  amounting  to  the  highest 
type  of  heroism;  as  a  people, they  were  not  without  senti- 
ment and  patriotism.  They  were  passionately  fond  of 
the  places  of  their  .birth,  were  ever  ready  to  defend  their 
homes  and  their  hunting  grounds,  and  they  revered  the 
mounds  which  contained  the  bones  of  their  ancestors. 
But  they  were  without  the  condition,  the  principle  or 
possibilities  of  progress. 

Not  far  distant  from  where  we  now  stand,  this  system 
of  western  paganism  and  the  progressive  civilization 
which  came  with  Christianity  from  the  east,  met  in  the 
shock  of  battle. 

Weary  from  the  effects  of  a  long  march  through  a  wil- 
derness almost  untrodden  by  the  foot  of  a  white  man  ; 
worn  down  by  continued  toil,  privation  and  exposure,  the 
army  of  the  cicilized,  under  command  of  Gen.  Sullivan, 
entered  the  favorite  hunting  and  planting  grounds  of  the 
Five  Nations,  and  ultimately  encamped  on  the  side  of  the 
clear,  cold  waters  of  the  deep,  dark,  mysterious,  and  in 
the  superstitious  belief  of  the  simple-minded  aborigines, 
storm-haunted  Seneca. 

The  Indian  braves,  until  then,  the  unchallenged  lords  of 
these  forests, wrere  aware  of  the  hostile  invasion,  and  pre- 
pared to  give  battle  to  the  unwelcome  invaders. 

Indian  cunning  and  Indian  cruelty  were  here  to  contend 
on  their  natural  and  familiar  ground,  with  the  white 
man's  science  and  the  white  man' s  discipline. 

It  has  not  been  assigned  to  me  on  this  occasion  to  re- 


76 

count  the  various  incidents  of  this  eventful  struggle,  nor 
am  I  called  upon  to  defend  the  fierce  destruction  of  Indian 
property  and  life,  which,  in  obedience  to  orders  from  the 
Commander- in-Chief,  followed  the  conflict  at  Newtown. 

Within,  or  near  the  boundaries  of  our  County,  at  least 
three  important  Indian  settlements  were  destroyed,  the 
horses  and  cattle  were  driven  away,  their  cornfields,  or- 
chards and  gardens  uprooted,  their  wigwams  were  burned, 
and  their  warriors  slain  within  sight  of  the  ascending 
smoke  which  told  them  of  the  invasion  and  destruction 
of  their  homes;  the  women  and  children  with  the  aged 
and  decrepit,  were  compelled  to  seek  safety  in  the  reces- 
ses of  the  forest,  to  divide  with  the  wolf  and  the  bear  the 
scanty  subsistence  provided  by  nature  for  her  children. 
Your  distinguished  Orator  and  gifted  Poet  win  describe 
to  you  these  events  in  language  which  I  must  not  antici- 
pate, and  in  diction  which  I  could  not  imitate,  while  your 
Historian  has  compiled  a  record  which  will  forever  remain 
in  the  archives  of  your  Society,  an  object  of  interest  and 
a  source  of  instruction. 

No  actor  in  the  scenes  which  we  have  this  day  met  to 
commemorate,  remains  with  us  to  tell  the  story  of  those 
.early  times.  The  Indian  and  the  white  man,  parties  to 
these  sanguinary  struggles,  have  alike  disappeared.  In 
endeavoring  to  trace,  verify  and  reproduce  their  history, 
we  necessarily  grope  in  doubt,  in  darkness  and  uncer- 
tainty. Wonderful  changes  have  taken  place,  but  so  si- 
lent and  gradual  have  been  the  processes,  that  no  record  of 
the  transition  remains  more  enduring  and  reliable  than 
that  of  the  footstep  in  the  sand.  These  broad  lands  then 
covered  by  primeval  forests,  sheltering  a  sparse  and  un- 
tutored population,  are  now  everywhere  teeming  with 
transplanted  life  and  civilized  industries  and  activities. 
Cities  and  villages,  churches  and  school  houses,  works  of 
art  and  inventions  of  utility,  productive  farms,  cultivated 
fields,  fruitful  gardens  and  peaceful  homes  are  every- 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  77 

where  to  be  seen,  but  of  the  original  red  man,  who  then 
held  these  broad  domains  by  grant  from  God  Himself, 
and  of  the  first  white  settler,  who  in  obedience  to  a  law 
of  progress,  implanted  within  his  bosom,  by  the  same 
All- Wise-Creator,  wrested  these  lands  for  the  purpose  of 
cultivation  and  improvement  from  their  pagan  proprie- 
tors, few  trustworthy  traces  remain. 

One  hundred  years  hence,  and  we  too,  will  have  passed 
away.  Not  one  of  all  those,  now  here  present,  will  re- 
main, to  tell  the  story  of  these  our  times.  Our  children's 
children  will  doubtless  meet  on  occasions  like  this,  per- 
haps to  celebrate  on  this  very  spot,  the  centennial  of  the 
organization  of  this  Historical  Society,  under  whose  au- 
spices, we  are  this  day  principally  convened.  If  so,  I 
fancy  the  names  ot  Gridley  and  of  Fatzinger,of  Hadley, 
of  Welles  and  their  associates  will  then  be  recalled,  and 
their  unselfish  labors,  their  intelligent  researches, 
their  zeal  for  the  truth  of  history,  their  taste  and 
their  generous  liberality,  will  form  themes  for  orators 
and  poets,  yet  unborn.  But  none  of  us  will  be  there, 
and  it  is  because  all  of  the  living  will  die  and  pass 
away,  as  all  of  the  past  have  died,  that  monuments  and 
commemorations,  like  those  we  are  about  to  unveil  and 
inaugurate,  become  useful  and  important.  They  serve  as 
the  landmarks  of  progress,  and  become  standing  wit- 
nesses of  the  truths  which  shall  be  narrated  in  history. 
As  the  annual  recurrence  of  the  festival  of  Christmas, 
the  solemn  fast  of  Good  Friday,  and  the  joyous  feast  of 
Easter,  bear  perpetual,  intelligent  and  demonstrative  tes- 
timony to  the  reality  of  the  birth,  the  crucifixion  and 
resurrection  of  our  Lord,  so  may  these  secular  festivals 
memorialize  to  coming  generations,  the  occurrences  of  im- 
portant, material  and  political  events. 

It  seems  very  proper  that  we  who  live  in  this  highly 
favored  land,  and  in  this  active  and  inventive  age,  should 
make,  for  posterity,  memorials  of  our  time,  more  endur- 


78  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

ing  even  than  that  of  inscriptions  on  granite  and  brass  ; 
and  that  we  should  rescue,  from  oblivion,  the  mementoes 
and  characteristics  of  an  earlier  age  and  people,  before 
every  trace  of  them  shall  be  forever  covered  up  or  swept 
away. 

Go  forth  then,  ye  gleaners,  and  gather  up  the  fragments 
of  our  early  and  local  history,  that  none  may  be  lost. 
See  to  it,  that  forest  and  stream,  lake  and  river,  hill  and 

0  * 

valley,  rock  and  mound,  be  made  to  tell  that  which  they 
have  seen,  and  to  surrender  to  your  careful  and  conscien- 
tious keeping,  the  secrets  and  the  treasures  committed  to 
their  charge.  Let  your  stalwart  men  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  the  Indian  hunter,  and  on  the  trail  of  the  savage 
warrior,  while  your  young  men  and  maidens,  in  the  very 
exuberance  of  youthful  glee  and  health  and  enthusiasm, 
shall  tread  again  amid  the  shadows  of  the  moonlit  eve- 
ning, or  the  early  dews  of  the  rosy  morning,  the  fairy 
rings  which  encircled  the  giant  oaks,  beneath  whose 
spreading  branches,  tales  of  love  and  war  were  whispered, 
in  a  language  long  since  lost,  during  the  centuries  which 
have  passed. 

Our  County  is  full  of  mementoes  of  an  earlier  age,  and 
of  a  people  no  longer  seen  among  us.  It  is  the  ascertained 
birth-place  and  the  probable  burial  place  of  one  or  more  of 
the  most  distinguished  of  Indian  orators;  and  there  is  not 
a  rood  of  land  along  its  lakes  and  rivers,  which  has  not. 
been  lighted  by  the  council  fires,  witnessed  the  war  dances, 
and  heard  the  harvest  and  hunting  songs  of  the  Senecas, 
the  Cayugas,  the  Onondagas,  the  Oneidas  and  the  Mo- 
hawks; while  every  sunny  knoll  has  been  crimsoned  with 
the  blood  of  victims  to  heathen  rites  and  savage  customs; 
and  every  shady  dell  has  witnessed  the  fierce  and  san- 
guinary struggles  between  a  receding  paganism  and  an  ad- 
vancing Christian  civilization. 

To  develop,  illustrate  and  perpetuate  these  mementoes, 
and  to  profit  by  the  lessons  of  history  which  they  silently 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  79 

teach,  is  one  of  the  objects  for  which  the  Waterloo  Li- 
brary and  Historical  Society  has  been  organized,  and  for 
which  this-  County  assembly  has  been  convened. 

lii  the  name,  therefore,  and  on  behalf  of  the  officers 
and  members  of  that  Society,  and  in  the  name  and  on  be- 
half of  the  corporate  authorities  and  citizens  of  the  town 
and  village  of  Waterloo,  who  will  also  this  afternoon  cel- 
ebrate the  semi-centennial  of  their  municipal  organiza- 
tion, and  in  the  name  and  on  behalf  of  the  whole  people 
of  Seneca,  I  bid  yon  all  welcome,  and  invite  you  to  as- 
sist in  the  ceremonies  of  the  day. 

It  is  now  my  privilege  to  introduce  to  you  the  Orator  of 
the  day,  Lieutenant-Governer  William  Dorsheimer,  who 
will  deliver  an  oration,  which,  on  the  invitation  of  your 
committee,  he  has  kindly  prepared  for  this  occasion. 

Mr.  Dorsheimer  thereupon  delivered  the  following  ora- 
tion :  • 

MY  FELLOW  CITIZENS  ; 

THE  arrangements  which  have  been  made  by  your  com- 
mittee, assign  to  another  the  duty  of  reviewing  the  his- 
torical events  you  are  assembled  to  commemorate.  I  may, 
therefore,  address  myself  to  some  of  those  more  general 
considerations  which  this  occasion  suggests. 

In  view  of  the  scene  before  our  eyes,  it  is  an  interesting 
reflection,  that  only  a  century  ago  an  armed  expedition 
came  here,  which  the  government  had  sent  against  the 
Indian  tribes,  just  as  sometimes  in  these  days,  expedi- 
tions are  sent  against  the  Indians  who  inhabit  the  head 
waters  of  the  Yellow  Stone  and  the  Columbia.  I  know  of 
no  other  association  of  this  centennial  period,  which  so 
strikingly  emphasizes  the  changes  and  progress  of  the 
last  hundred  years.  A  hundred  years  ago,  all  this  region 
which  stretches  from  the  Mohawk  to  the  Great  Lakes, 
was  covered  by  an  unbroken  forest,  and  owned  by  a  few 
thousand  savages.  It  is  now  the  seat  of  the  most  power- 


80  SENECA    COUNTY    CEMKNXIAL 

ful,  the  wealthiest,  and  I  think  I  may  say,  the  most  liberal 
and  enlightened  American  State. 

I  will  make  it  my  part  to-day, to  describe  the  influences 
which  have,  in  my  judgement,  been  most  influential  in 
producing  this  change ;  and  I  will  also  mention,  what  I 
think  are  the  most  important  achievements  of  the  cen- 
tury which  has  passed. 

The  history  of  New  York  has,  from  the  first,  been  an 
epitome  of  the  history  of  the  United  States.  In  colonial 
times,  it  was  the  home  of  an  Indian  confederation  of  such 
power,  that  its  alliance  was  sought  by  the  principal  na- 
tions of  Europe.  The  policies  of  Versailles  and  St.  James 
were  worked  out  here.  Addison  describes  the  presenta- 
tion of  an  embassy  from  the  Iroquois  at  the  court  of 
Queen  Anne.  Here  were  undertaken  the  enterprises 
which  gave  its  chief  glory  to  the  administration  of  the 
elder  Pitt,  and  here  those  events  occurred,  which  decided 
that  this  continent  should  be  English  and  not  French. 
Here  too,  were  fought  the  decisive  battles  of  the  revolu- 
tion. Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill  were  but  a  call  to  arms, 
Oriskany  and  Saratoga  gave  us  the  French  Alliance  and 
made  our  independence  certain. 

This  has  been  not  only  the  strategic  point  in  war,  but 
also  in  government.  The  first  Congress  of  the  Colonies 
was  held  in  Albany.  Our  constitution  was  a  model  to 
the  framers  of  the  Federal  constitution,  our  laws  in  rela- 
tion to  railways,  insurance  and  manufacturing  corpora- 
tions, have  been  copied  in  other  States;  and  our  banking- 
laws  are  the  foundation  of  the  national  banking  system. 

All  those  forces  which,  since  the  establishment  of  our 
government,  have  acted  upon  our  country,  and  formed 
our  national  character,  have  been  in  operation  here.  Here 
win-re  you  live  was  the  first  West.  Here  were  first  seen 
those  great  movements  of  our  population  which  have 
been  a  curious  and  characteristic  feature  of  our  history. 
New  York  has  always  been  hospitable  to  the  .stranger. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  81 

The  Dutchmen  who  founded  our  State  had  established  a 
liberal  polity,  such  as  was  to  have  been  expected  from 
the  sagacious  merchants  of  Holland,  New  Englanders 
were  attracted  not  only  by  more  fertile  soils,  but  even 
more  by  a  wider  liberty,  and  by  a  government  which  left 
room  for  individual  freedom.  The  people  of  Nantucket 
came  into  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  and  Yankees  from 
Connecticut  came  into  this  Lake  Region,  and  into  the 
Genesee  Country,  a  little  further  west. 

From  the  first  this  was  a  commercial  State,  the  Hol- 
landers had  made  treaties  with  the  Indians,  and  the  furs 
and  peltries  of  the  forest  sought  a  market  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Mohawk.  Independence  was  hardly  achieved  be- 
fore New  York  began  enterprises  to  facilitate  trade  with 
her  sister  States.  In  1791,  an  Act  was  passed  authorizing 
a  survey  for  a  canal  to  connect  the  streams  of  the  in- 
terior with  the  Hudson.  In  1798,  an  Act  was  passed 
"for  opening  navigation  between  Lakes  Erie  and  Ontario." 
The  preamble  to  the  Act  of  181 7,  states  in  language  of  sing- 
ular beauty,  the  generous  and  patriotic  policy,  with  which 
the  building  of  the  Erie  and  Chainplain  canals  was  under- 
taken. I  will  read  it  to  you  : 

"Whereas,  navigable  communications  between  Lakes 
Erie  and  Champlain  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  by  means  of 
canals  connected  with  the  Hudson  River,  will  promote  ag- 
riculture, manufactures  and  commerce,  mitigate  the 
calamities  of  war,  and  enhance  the  blessings  of  peace, 
consolidate  the  Union,  and  advance  the  prosperity  and 
elevate  the  character  of  the  United  States  :  and  whereas, 
it  is  the  incumbent  duty  of  the  people  of  this  State  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  means  which  the  Almighty  has 
placed  in  their  hands,  for  the  production  of  such  signal, 
extensive  and  lasting  benefits  to  the  human  race;  now, 
therefore,  in  full  confidence  that  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  States  equally  interested  with  this 
State  in  the  commencement,  prosecution  and  completion 


82  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

of  those  important  works,  will  contribute  their  full  pro- 
portion of  the  expense  ;  and  in  order  that  adequate  funds 
may  be  provided  and  properly  arranged  and  managed,  for 
the*  prosecution  and  completion  of  all  the  navigable  com- 
munications contemplated  by  this  Act. 

1.  Be  it  enacted,  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  etc." 

I  need  hardly  remark  that  neither  Congress  nor  the 
other  States  contributed  to  the  work  ;  New  York  did  it 
alone.  The  same  liberal  spirit  has  ever  since  controlled 
the  management  of  our  public  works.  The  State  has  ex- 
pended upon  them  more  than  fifty  millions,  but  the  tolls 
upon  their  trade  have  been  so  reduced  that  the  treasury 
has  ceased  to  derive  any  revenue  therefrom,  and  it  be- 
comes daily  more  certain  that  they  will  presently  be  made 
free  highways  for  commerce. 

New  York  was  the  first  American  State  to  feel  the  full 
force  of  that  tide  of  foreign  emigration  which  began. it  is 
true,  soon  after  the  Revolution,  but  which  swelled  into  a 
considerable  volume  subsequent  to  1830. 

Since  the  barbarous  tribes  of  the  east  invaded  the  west 
of  Europe,  and  overwhelmed  the  civilization  of  Rome, 
there  has  been  no  migration  among  men  upon  so  great  a 
scale,  and  in  its  consequences  so  important,  as  this. 
Over  vast  regions  and  among  many  nations  there  was  but 
one  desire.  The  young  men  and  women  came  first,  the  el- 
ders followed,  and  soon  whole  families,  and  even  entire 
neighborhoods  came.  Fleets  were  launched  to  bring  them. 
It  was  not  a  wish  for  a  better  material  condition  alone 
which  governed  them.  The  spirit  of  liberty  spoke  to 
every  race.  There  was  no  peasant  who  had  not  heard  of 
the  new  land  where  men  were  free.  The  words  of  Frank- 
lin, and  the  deeds  of  Washington,  were  known  in  the  re- 
motest corners  of  Europe.  Dramatic  accompaniments 
were  not  wanting  ;  some  there  were  whom  famine  drove 
:i\vay.  others  fled  from  the  penalties  of  unsuccessful  re- 


OF   SULLIVAN'S   EXPEDITION.  83 

volt.  But  there  were  other  influences  more  familiar  and 
even  more  powerful.  In  many  an  Irish  cabin,  in  many  a 
Highland  cottage,  in  many  a  German  village,  stories  were 
told,  by  voices  tremulous  with  sympathy,  of  the  adven- 
turous youth,  whom  all  the  eager  listeners  knew,  who  had 
gone  beyond  the  seas  and  had  won  both  wealth  and  sta- 
tion. 

In  no  way  have  our  institutions  shown  their  strength 
more  strikingly,  than  by  the  assimilation  of  this  great 
horde  of  strangers.  There  were  many  who  looked  with 
fear  upon  this  incursion  of  people  who  w^ere  strange  to 
our  institutions,  to  our  laws,  and  many  of  wliom  were 
strange  to  our  language.  There  were  some  who  proposed 
legal  defences  against  the  dangers  they  apprehended. 
But  such  was  the  trust  of  the  people  in  their  own  strength 
that  these  apprehensions  soon  vanished.  At  the  close  of 
the  civil  war,  the  world  wondered  to  see  a  million  soldiers 
disbanded  and  taken  back  into  the  body  of  the  nation 
which  had  sent  them  forth,  not  only  without  disturbance, 
but  without  an  effort.  It  was  a  far  greater  marvel,  to  see 
these  millions  of  Irishmen,  Scotchmen,  Germans,  Danes, 
Swedes,  French  and  Italians,  turned  into  Americans, and 
that,  so  completely,  that  in  a  single  generation  all  their 
peculiar  characteristics  and  even  their  native  languages 
had  disappeared  ;  and  this  by  processes  so  effective,  and 
so  general,  that  they  remind  us  of  the  processes  of  na- 
ture, of  the  mighty  forces  which  melt  the  snows  of  win- 
ter, and  which  transform  the  juices  of  the  earth  and  the 
constituents  of  the  air  and  the  sunshine,  into  the  harvests 
of  autumn. 

New  York  was  the  first  American  Commonwealth 
which  gathered  the  fruits  of  this  great  emigration.  The 
liberal  policy  which  had  attracted  the  New  Englanders, 
drew  hither  also  the  foreigners.  What  have  they  not 
done  for  us  \  N  ot  only  have  they  built  our  canals,  rail- 
roads and  cities,  not  only  have  they  tilled  our  farms,  man- 

6 


84 

ned  our  ships,  tended  our -flocks  and  borne  our  burdens, 
but  they  have  fought  upon  every  battle-field  and  assisted 
in  every  triumph  of  our  history.  Montgomery  died  un- 
der the  walls  of  Quebec  ;  Fulton,  of  Irish  descent,  launched 
the  first  successful  steamboat  upon  our  waters  :  Sweden 
gave  us  the  inventive  genius  of  Ericson  ;  Ireland  sent  here 
the  legal  learning  of  Emmet,  and  the  soft  eloquence  of 
Thomas  Francis  Meagher.  The  son  of  one  Irish  emigrant 
has  long  been  the  leader  of  the  American  bar,  the  son  of 
another  represents  you  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
In  other  places,  I  have  dwelt  upon  the  two  great  lines 
of  policy,  which,  in  my  judgment,  did  most  to  work  out 
these  results  ;  I  mean  religious  toleration  and  popular  ed- 
ucation. The  populations  of  Europe  could  not  have  lived 
here  at  peace  with  each  other,  and  with  ourselves,  unless 
we  had  tolerated,  without  a  question,  every  form  of  reli- 
gious opinion.  Neither  could  these  strangers  have  been 
changed  into  Americans,  by  any  other  instrumentality 
than  the  common  school. 

A  free  people  established  a  free  State,  a  free  church,  a 
free  school,  and  their  next  great  achievement  was  a  free 
press. 

The  independent  newspaper  of  to-day  is  a  product  of 
New  York.  I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  saying 
that  powerful  journals  were  first  established  here. 
The  press  of  Europe,  of  Germany,  France  and  Italy  is 
both  able  and  influential,  but  it  is  a  means  by  which  bril- 
liant writers  address  the  public  rather  than  a  news  press. 
The  journals  of  England  are  unequalled  in  their  way;  they 
are  the  best  newspapers  in  the  world  for  what  happened 
a  week  ago.  But  the  great  newspaper  to  which  we  are 
accustomed,  which  photographs  yesterday  for  us,  present- 
ing every  feature  of  human  vice  and  virtue,  of  joy  and  sor- 
row, of  success  and  defeat, of  suffering  and  triumph, every 
battlefield,  every  shipwreck,  the  heir  of  Austerlitz  dying 
amidst  the  long  African  grasses,  and  the  young  traveler 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  85 

falling  from  the  icy  and  precipitous  crags  of  the  Matter- 
horn — this  marvelous  creature,  so  instinct  Avith  life  and 
energy,  with  a  strength  which  is  never  weary,  and  re- 
sources which  are  never  exhausted,  whose  audacity  is 
only  equalled  by  its  enterprise  and  courage — this  is  a  cre- 
ation of  our  time  and  our  State. 

A  Scotchman  and  a  Vermonter,who  came  to  New  York 
at  about  the  same  time,  produced  the  modern  newspaper. 

There  are  some  who  have  feared  that  the  power  of  the 
press  might  prove  dangerous  to  society.  But  the  people 
at  whose  desire  the  newspaper  came  into  being,  have  known 
how  to  control  it.  That  public  opinion,  which  the  press 
does  most  to  instruct,  provides  also  the  limitations  which 
are  necessary  to  prevent  this  modern  Titan  from  abusing 
his  power. 

The  presence  here  of  so  many  populations, and  the  pos- 
session of  newspapers  so  widely  circulated,  have  made 
New  York  a  political  stage  second  only  in  importance  to 
that  of  the  >»  ational  Government.  It  has  long  been  pos- 
sible for  a  man  to  win  a  national  reputation  here.  No 
one  now  remembers  that  De  Witt  Clinton  was  once  a 
Senator  in  Congress,  while  Horatio  Seymour  has  never 
held  any  office  under  the  National  Government. 

There  are  some  States  which  are  always  controlled  by 
one  party.  Not  so  here.  No  political  party  has  ever  ob- 
tained an  undisputed  ascendancy  here.  New  York  is  al- 
ways debatable  ground  ;  nor  can  its  political  action  often 
be  predicted. 

No  public  man  has  ever  had  the  control  over  us  which 
Calhoun,  Clay,  Jackson,  Webster  acquired  over  the  com- 
munities in  which  they  Jived.  Even  Hamilton,  Jay,  the 
Clintons  and  Livingstons,  Van  Buren,  Marcy,  Wright  and 
Seward  were  simply  the  most  conspicuous  amongst  a  num- 
ber of  able  men. 

We  have  always  had  close  relations  with  all  the  other 
States.  As  the  waters  which  fall  upon  our  hills  iiow  into 


$6  SEXECA  COUNTY  CEXTEXXIAL 

many  seas,  some  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  some  into  the 
Bay  of  Newfoundland,  some  through  the  capes  of  the 
Delaware,  while  others  unite  with. the  Potomac  and  the 
James,  so  the  currents  of  our  business  and  commerce 
flow  into  every  port,  and  reach  every  people.  In  return, 
we  are  affected  by  the  things  which  concern  them.  >,  ot 
only  are  we  disturbed  by  their  distresses  and  enriched 
by  their  prosperity,  but  their  opinions  act  upon  our 
minds.  It  thus  happens  that  we  never  have  had  any  con- 
trolling local  politics  in  New  York.  Even  when  we  try 
to  shut  out  national  questions,  we  find  that  we  cannot,  and 
our  elections  turn  upon  the  issues  which  interest  the 
whole  country. 

The  circumstances  I  have  mentioned,  make  New  York 
not  only  a  conspicuous  but  a  difficult  field  in  politics. 
Men  and  measures  meet  here  severe  criticism,  and  of  ne- 
cessity some  misrepresentation — but  there  is  always  a  full 
opportunity  for  free  discussion  before  the  people,  and  the 
atmosphere  of  our  public  life,  though  it  be  rude,  seems 
to  be  grateful  to  bold  and  hardy  men. 

My  fellow  citizens,  the  achievements  of  this  century 
have  been  the  work  of  the  people,  and  not.  in  any  great 
part,  the  work  of  individual  citizens  however  distinguished. 
It  has  been  the  industry,  the  generosity,  the  wisdom,  the 
saving  common-sense  of  the  plain  people  of  this  State, 
which  has  controlled  its  policy,  raised  it  to  influence 
and  maintained  its  power.  I  do  not  know  of  any 
other  community  of  which  this  may  be  said  with  so  little 
qualification. 

A  century  ago  there  were  in  the  principal  European 
countries,  enlightened  and  sympathetic  men,  who  looked 
with  mingled  emotions  of  hope  and  fear,  at  the  experi- 
ment of  the  people's  government  which  the  Americans 
had  undertaken.  I  think  we  have  realized  all  that  those 
generous  spirits  hoped  for. 

One  hundred  and  one  years  ago  last  March,  before  our 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  87 

independence  had  been  won,  the  illustrious  Turgot  Avrote 
of  us  these  prophetic  words  : 

"  It  is  impossible  not  to  offer  vows  that  this  people  may 
arrive  at  all  the  prosperity  of  which  it  is  susceptible.  It 
is  the  hope  of  the  human  race.  It  can  become  its  model. 
It  must  give  the  example  of  political  liberty,  of  religious 
liberty,  of  commercial  and  industrial  liberty.  The  asy- 
lum which  it  opens  to  the  oppressed  of  all  nations  must 
console  the  earth.  The  facility  which  it  affords  for  escape 
from  a  bad  government,  will  force  the  European  govern- 
ments to  be  just  and  enlightened." 

Surely  the  aspirations  of  that  prophetic  soul  have  been 
completely  answered.  I  have  tried  to  show  that  they 
have  been  answered  as  respects  our  own  people  and  coun- 
try ;  it  remains  to  point  out  how  this  prophecy  has  been 
fulfilled  as  respects  other  nations.  And  here,  I  will  yield 
to  the  impulse  which  always  moves  a  New  Yorker  to 
speak  of,  and  for  the  whole  country.  That  our  example 
has  acted  powerfully  upon  Europe  no  one  denies.  I  do 
no*;  refer  alone  to  the  French  revolution^  but  to  events 
which  have  been  more  peaceful  in  operation,  and,  perhaps, 
more  permanent  in  results. 

We"  have  shown  the  world,  that  there  is  no  occasion  for 
war  on  religious  grounds,  and  that  a  government  may 
safely  tolerate  all  religions.  We  have  shown  that  race 
and  language  do  not  create  insurmountable  barriers  be- 
tween men.  That  the  Celt  and  the  Teuton  have  inherited 
no  cause  for  quarrel.  We  have  shown  that  the  education 
of  all  the  people  does  not  cause  discontent  and  disorder, 
but  that  it  is  a  source  of  wealth  and  a  strong  defence  to 
the  State.  We  have  shown  that  a  press  absolutely  free 
from  censorship  and  control,  is  not  a  source  of  danger, 
but  that  by  giving  opportunity  to  display  the  truth  and 
to  expose  the  wrong,  it  becomes  a  conservative  influence 
upon  society.  We  have  shown  the  world  the  advantages 
of  free  trade  between  communities  widely  separated  and 


88  SENECA   COUXTY   CEXTEXXIAL 

whose  industries  greatly  differ— albeit,  our  conduct,  as  re- 
spects foreign  nations,  belies  both  our  practice  and  pre- 
cept at  home. 

We  have  also  shown  the  value  of  national  unity. 
Taught  by  our  example,  Italy  and  Germany,  both  for 
centuries  divided  into  a  number  of  petty  sovereignties, 
have  been  transformed  into  States  of  the  first  rank  as  re- 
spects strength  and  power. 

These  results  give  promise  of  a  greater  future  and  of 
an  influence  upon  mankind  even  more  valuable.  If  the 
States  of  America  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  meet  in 
annual  Congress,  why  may  not  the  States  of  Europe  do 
the  same  \  Indeed,  when  important  occasions  arise,  they 
do  so  now.  Whatever  cavil  there  may  be  over  its  results, 
the  fact  that  the  question  of  war  and  peace  in  Europe 
was  presented  to  the  Congress  of  Berlin  is  full  of  hope 
for  the  future.  An  English  gentleman,  the  Governor  of 
an  English  Colony,  said  to  me  lately  that  he  looked  for- 
ward to  some  future  association  of  all  the  English  speak- 
ing peoples,  but  when  this  generous  thought  is  suggested 
to  an  American,  he  remembers  that  the  ancestors  of  his 
countrymen  are  not  all  English,  and  he  widens  the  aspir- 
ation into  the  hope  that,  in  the  near  future,  all  the  na- 
tions will  be  accustomed  to  meet  from  time  to  time  in 
Congress,  for  the  adjustment  of  their  differences. 

My  fellow  citizens  you  are  descended  from  all  the  great 
and  heroic  races.  Heirs  of  a  glorious  past,  to  you  and 
to  your  children  belong  the  opportunities  of  the  future. 
Your  duty  is  plain.  It  will  be  your  part  to  preserve  the 
institutions  you  have  inherited,  and  to  widen  and  com- 
plete them.  Do  you  begin  to  feel  the  evils  which 
disturb  older  communities?  Do  you  find  that  property 
gathers  in  the  hands  of  the  few*  That  classes  separated 
by  barriers  difficult  to  surmount  grow  up  amongst  you  ? 
That  business  associations  acquire  a  power  inconsistent 
with  the  general  welfare  \  You  wiU  know  how  to  deal  with 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  89 

these  clangers,  for  yon  will  remember  how  your  fathers 
dealt  with  the  perils  of  their  day.  Yon  will  resort  to 
methods  which  are  consistent  with  peace  and  liberty. 
Yon  will  apply  the  solvents  of  universal  education,  of 
free  discussion,  and  of  untrammelled  political  action. 

It  needs  no  prophetic  vision  to  tell  something  of  the 
future.  If  peace  be  preserved,  those  who  meet  here  to 
celebrate  the  second  centennial  of-  the  conquest  of  the 
Six  Nations,  will  be  citizens  of  a  State  containing  twenty 
million  people.  We  may  be  certain,  that  during  the  cen- 
tury which  now  begins,  achievements  will  be  made  as 
great  and  as  difficult  as  the  achievements  of  the  last  cen- 
tury. The  orator  of  that  day  may  speak  in  a  strain  even 
more  triumphant  than  mine.  He  will  be  able  to  describe 
a  civilization  more  refined  than  ours  ;  wealth  more  evenly 
distributed  ;  knowledge  more  general ;  society  reposing 
under  a  safer  guardianship  ;  and  our  country,  with  its  lib- 
erties assured,  still  showing  to  the  nations  of  'the  earth 
the  way  to  peace  and  freedom. 


During  the  delivery  of  MR.  DORSHEIMER'S  oration,  the 
storm  threatened  during  the  forenoon,  set  in  from  the 
south-east  accompanied  with  heavy  rain,  which  continued 
to  pour  down  for  several  hours  and  until  the  conclusion 
of  the  exercises  at  the  grand  stand.  While  this  had  the 
effect  to  greatly  thin  out  the  crowd  assembled  about  the 
stand,  to  listen  to  the  speaker,  yet  many  remained  to  the 
close,  so  great  was  their  interest  in  the  exercises  of  the 
day. 

The  historian,  REV.  DAVID  CRAFT,  was  next  introduced 
by  the  President  of  the  day,  and  delivered  the  historical 
address  prepared  by  him  for  the  occasion.  Mr.  Craft,  at 


90  SKX  K.r  A   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

the  request  of  the  Library  and  Historical  Society,  has 
kindly  re-written  and  extended  his  address,  so  as  to  form, 
as  now  published,  a  full  and  complete  history  of  the  en- 
tire Sullivan  Campaign  of  1779,  compiled  and  prepared 
from  official  records. 

Mu.  PRESIDENT: 

In  the  current  of  human  history,  there  arise  great  events 
which  materially  modify  the  structure  of  society,  turn  the 
stream  of  national  life  into  new  channels,  give  a  new  col- 
oring to  national  character,  and  secure  development  of 
new  resources.  They  are  the  events  which  designate  his- 
torical epochs,  and  become  focal  dates  to  mark  the  pro- 
gress of  civilization,  and  trace  the  development  of  social 
and  national  life. 

Such  an  event,  to  this  country,  was  the  Sullivan 
Expedition.  It  marks  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the 
history  of  this  Empire  State.  It  determined,  at  a  single 
blow,  whether  white  men  or  red  men  should  hold  domi- 
nation over  these  fertile  vales  and  along  these  streams, 
and  over  these  lakes  and  mountains.  At  a  single  stroke 
it  solved  the  question, whether  the  American  Indian,  with 
his  deeply  rooted  prejudices,  with  his  unconquerable 
aversion  to  civilization,  with  his  undisguised  hatred  for 
the  religion  and  the  culture  of  the  European,  was  longer 
to  stand  in  the  way  of  human  progress;  whether  he  was 
longer  to  maintain  a  barrier,  as  immovable  as  his  own  na- 
ture, to  the  advancement  of  the  institutions  and  the  ideas 
of  the  white  man,  or  whether  he  must  go  down  before 
the  antagonism  of  another  race,  which  was  every  day 
gathering  new  strength  and  preparing  itself  for  a  fresh 
onset. 

To  whichever  party  Our  sympathy  may  cling,  in  whatever 
speculations  the  philanthropist  may  indulge,  whatever 
charges  of  cruelty,  of  greed,  of  rapacity,  may  be  made 
against  the  white  man,  we  shudder  to  think  what  might 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  91 

have  been  the  fate  of  free  institutions  on  this  western 
continent,  had  the  wager  of  battle  between  the  races,  at 
that  awful  crisis,  given  victory  to  the  vanquished. 

When  this  country  was  first  known  to  the  whites,  the 
territory  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  St. '  Lawrence,  on 
the  east  by  the  Hudson  and  Delaware,  on  the  south  by 
the  Potomac,  and  on  the  west  by  the  great  lakes,  was  in- 
habited by  nations,  which  from  their  language,  general 
customs  and  traditions,  seemed  to  be  more  closely  related 
to  each  other,  than  to  the  nations  which  surrounded 
them.  The  confederated  Five  Nations,  or  as  they  are 
commonly  called,  the  Iroquois,  occupied  the  north-east 
portion  of  this  territory,  having  the  Eries  and  Hurons  on 
the  west,  and  on  the  south  the  Andastes,  tribes  living 
along  the  Susquehanna.  These  powerful  neighbors  had 
greatly  diminished  the  strength  of  the  Iroquois, and  well- 
nigh  reduced  them  to  a  condition  of  vassalage,  and  more 
than  once  had  even  driven  them  from  their  ancestral 
seats.  ' 

For  mutual  protection  the  Five  Nations  of  Central 
New  York,  viz:  the  Mohawks,  the  Oneidas,  the  Onon- 
dagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  the  Senecas,  entered  into  a 
confederation,  and  in  a  rude  way,  anticipated  the 
great  Federal  Republic  which  is  to-day  exercising  such 
controlling  power  over  the  affairs  of  this  continent,  and 
such  mighty  influence  over  the  nations  of  the  earth.  By 
means  of  the  mutual  aid  they  were  thus  able  to  give  each 
other,  and  of  the  rifle,  which  traders  sold  to  the  Mohawks 
prior  to  1620,  the  Iroquois  soon  began  to  assert  their  in- 
dependence, then  to  make  war  upon  their  neighbors,  and 
in  a  few  years,  instead  of  being  vassals,  they  became  mas- 
ters, and  either  exterminated  or  brought  into  subjugation, 
not  only  their  former  conquerors,  but  carried  their  con- 
quests to  the  Mississippi  on  the  west  and  to  the  Gulf  on 
the  south. 

When  the  English  assumed  control  of  New  York,they 


92  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

formed  an  alliance  with  the  Iroquois  against  the  French, 
the  common  enemy  of  both,  then  in  possession  of  Canada 
and  claiming  all  the  country  drained  by  the  St.  Lawrence 
and  the  Mississippi. 

The  Iroquofe,  strengthened  by  this  alliance, and  becom- 
ing still  more  attached  to  the  English  by  the  wise  policy 
and  blandishments  of  such  shrewd  agents  as  the  John- 
sons, declared  themselves  to  be  the  children  of  the  King 
of  England,  and  the  English  to  be  their  brethren.  At 
the  beginning  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  they  mus- 
tered nearly  2,000  warriors.*  which  with  their  valor,  their 
peculiar  methods  of  warfare,  and  the  advantages  of  their 
situation,  rendered  them  a  power  whose  hostility  was 
greatly  to  be  feared. 

The  Indian  had  learned  from  the  white  man  not  only 
the  use  of  the  rifle,  but  some  of  the  arts  and  appliances 
of  civilization.  The  lodge  covered  with  poles  and  skins 
had  been  superseded  by  the  log  cabin  with  its  bark-cov- 
ered roof,  and  in  some  instances,  with  chimneys  and 
glazed  windows,  and  the  village  was  surrounded  with 
waving  cornfields  and  fruitful  orchards.  Rude  as  their 
husbandry  was,  they  raised  abundant  crops  of  corn,  beans, 
squashes,  potatoes,  pumpkins,  cucumbers,  melons,  etc.  ; 
and  the  squaws,  more  provident  than  their  lords,  had 
learned  to  store  a  portion  of  these  for  the  winter's  neces- 
sities. They  possessed  also  fowls  and  swine,  horses  and 
cattle. 

At  the  very  beginning  of  the  conflict  between  the  Am- 
erican Colonies  and  the  mother  country,  the  Colonial 


*In  a  census  taken  in  1763,  out  of  1,950  warriors,  the  Senecas  claimed  1,050,  the  Onei- 

250,  the  Cayugas  200,  the  Mohawks  160,  the  Onondagas  150  and  the  Tuscaroras.who 

i  been  admitted  as  the  Sixth  Nation  of  the  Confederacy,  140      The  British  Indian 

nt  reported  that  during  the  Revolutionary  war  the  English  had  in  their  service  400 

Seneca  warriors,  300  each  of  Onondagas  and  Mohawks,230  Cayugas.-^OO  Tnscaroras  and 

150  Oneirt»« 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  93 

authorities  sent  a  delegation  to  the  Great  Council*  of 
the  Iroquois,  informing  them  that  their  difficulties  with 
the  British  king  related  to  the  white  people  alone,  and 
as  it  did  not  concern  the  Indians,  they  ought  to  be  neutral 
in  the  contest.  To  this  policy  the  Great  Council  agreed; 
and  it  was  declared  that  some  of  their  chiefs  even  offered 
their  services  to  the  Americans,  which,  however,  the  com- 
missioners firmly,  though  kindly,  declined. 

Sir  William  Johnson,  Baronet,  the  popular  British  In- 
dian agent,  died  June  24,  1774,  and  his  son,  John,  suc- 
ceeded to  his  titles  and  estates,,  and  his  son-in-law,  Col. 
Guy  Johnson, succeeded  to  the  Indian  agency.  Col.  John 
Butler,  a  speculator  in  Indian  lands,  whose  father  had 
been  a  warm  friend  of  the  Baronet's,  was  a  near  and 
wealthy  neighbor  of  the  Johnsons  ;  these  were  all  active 
loyalists,  and  in  connection  with  Sir  Guy  Carlton,  then 
Governor  of  Canada,  began  to  persuade  the  Iroquois  to 
take  up  the  hatchet  in  aid  of  the  British  king.  The  cel- 
ebrated Mohawk  warrior,  Joseph  Brant,  who  had  been 
elevated  to  the  military  chieftaincy  of  his  nation,  and 
won  over  to  the  side  of  the  British  government,  from 
which  he  had  received  a  captain's  commission,  was  lend- 
ing all  of  his  powerful  influence  to  the  side  of  the 
crown, f  Rev.  Samuel  Kirkland,  a  missionary  among 
the  Oneidas,  succeeded,  however,  in  preventing  a  part  of 
that  nation,  the  Stockbridge  Indians  and  a  part*  of  the 
Tuscaroras,  from  taking  up  arms  against  the  States,  and 


*A  formal  conference  and  treaty  was  held  by  commissioners  of  the  congress, to-wit : 
Gen.  Schuyler,  Col.  Turbut  Francis,  Col.  Wolcott,  Mr.  Douw  and  others,  with  the  Iro- 
quois at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  August,  1775.  A  full  account  may  be  found  in  "Stone's  Life  ol 
Brant;"  Vol.  I.  Appendix  No.  2. 


tThere  is  good  reason  also  to  believe  that,  aside  from  the  long  alliance  and  friend- 
ship with  the  British  Government,  the  demoralizing  effect  of  British  gold  and  British 
rum,  and  the  great  influence  of  Brant,  that  the  Iroquois  themselves  had  begun  to  feel 
the  mortification  of  having  their  own  subjects,  aided  as  they  often  were  by  the  Colonial 
Government,  maintain  a  successful  revolt  against  their  authority,  and  their  alliance 
with  the  British  meaut.ultimately,  the  assurance  of  English  rule  over  the  white  people, 
and  of  Iroquois  supremacy  over  the  Indians  on  this  continent. 


94  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

subsequently  some  of  them  joined  the  Americans— Cap- 
tain Jehoiacim  with  a  few  Stockbridge  Indians, and  Han- 
yerry,  an  Oneida,with  some  of  his  nation,  being  connected 
with  the  Sullivan  expedition  as  guides, as  also  a  chief  call- 
ed Captain  Print,  who  acted  as  interpreter.  Without 
going  into  the  particulars  of  the  negotiations,  it  is  suffi- 
cient to  say  that,  through  this  defection  of  the  Iroquois, 
about  1,200  Indian  warriors  were  brought  into  the  field 
to  strengthen  the  British  forces. 

As  early  as  1775,  Sir  John  Johnson  and  Col,  John  But- 
ler called  a  secret  council  of  the  Indians  at  Oswego,  which 
was  attended  principally  by  the  Senecas  and  Cayugas.  who 
henceforth,  became  prominent  in  their  opposition  to  the 
Colonists,  and  foremost  in  the  various  marauds  made 
against  the  frontier  settlements. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1776,  Sir  John  Johnson 
fled  to  Canada,  where  he  was  commissioned  a  Colonel  in 
the  British  service,  and  raised  a  command  of  two  bat- 
talions, composed  mostly  of  Scotchmen,  living  near 
Johnstown,  who  had  accompanied  him  in  his  flight,  and 
of  other  American  loj-'alists.  who  subsequently  followed 
their  example.  From  the  color  of  their  uniform  they 
were  called  "Royal  Greens.''  Johnson  became  riot  only 
one  of  the  most  active,  but  one  of  the  bitterest  foes  of 
his  own  countrymen,  of  any  who  were  engaged  in  the 
contest,and  was  repeatedly  the  scourge  of  his  own  former 
neighbors. 

Besides  the  regularly  enlisted  and  uniformed  compa- 
nies of  Greens  or  Rangers.a  considerable  number  of  disaf- 
fected people  had  been  driven  from  the  border  settlements 
by  the  Whigs,  as  public  enemies,  and  became  refugees 
about  the  British  camps  and  garrisons.  These  by  the 
patriots  were  called  '"Tories."  They,  burning  with  rage 
toward  the  Whigs,  and  frequently  disguised  as  Indians, 
either  in  company  with  them,  or  in  bands  by  themselves, 
kept  up  a  predatory  or  guerilla  warfare  along  the  front- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  *  95 

iers  and  in  cruelty  and  inhumanity  far  exceeded  the  sav- 
ages themselves. 

Of  Joseph  Brant, or  Thayendanegea,as  the  Indians  call- 
ed him,  who  acted  so  conspicuous  a  part  on  our  frontiers 
during  the  Revolutionary  war,  a  few  words  need  be  said. 
Of  more  than  average  natural  gifts,  he  had  enjoyed  pe- 
culiar advantages  for  their  cultivation.  His  sister,  Molly, 
being  the  mistress  of  Sir  William  Johnson,  that  gentle- 
man secured  for  him  a  fair  English  education,  and  after- 
ward gave  him  a  responsible  position  connected  with  the 
Indian  agency,  which  he  held  until  the  beginning  of  the 
war.  About  that  time  he  made  a  visit  to  England,  where 
he  was  received  with  marked  attention  by  the  nobility  and 
English  people, and  was  persuaded  that  the  ancient  trea- 
ties between  the  Iroquois  and  the  British  bound  him  to 
support  the  crown  in  its  struggle  with  the  Colonies. Brant 
returned  to  America  an  avowed  ally  of  the  British  govern- 
ment. 

He  was  descended  from  a  Sachem  of  the  Mohawks, and 
attained  the  high  honor  of  being  recognized  as  the  war 
chief  of  the  Confederacy,  a  position  the  highest  and  the 
most  honorable  to  which  an  Iroquois  could  aspire.  As 
the  leader  of  his  dusky  warriors,  he  was  foremost  in  the 
fray,  exhaustless  in  expedients  to  harass  his  enemy,  of 
tireless  energy,  of  dauntless  courage,  of  lofty  and  chiv- 
alrous bearing,  commanding  the  fullest  confidence  of 
his  people,  a  tower  of  strength  to  his  friends  and  a  terror 
to  his  foes.  Even  after  the  lapse  of  a  century,  the  mere 
mention  of  his  name  calls  up  recollections  of  slaughter 
and  massacres,  of  plunder  and  pillage,  of  burning  and 
devastation,  for  which  men  still  execrate  his  name  and 
stigmatize  his  memory. 

With  such  a  horde  of  white  men  and  red,  of  Indian 
warriors,  refugees,  Tories,  uniformed  militia,  and  a  few 
regular  troops,  men  whose  passions  were  inflamed  with 
intensest  hatred  against  the  patriots,  who  were  stimulated 


96  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL. 

to  deeds  of  reckless  bravery  by  hope  of  plunder,  who 
were  encouraged  to  a  mad  rivalry  with  each  other  iu  acts 
of  savage  barbarism  and  merciless  cruelty— with  such  a 
horde,  whose  battle-cry  was  "No  quarter,"  and  whose 
purpose  was  extermination,  without  military  discipline 
and  without  susceptibility  of  control,  let  loose  upon  the 
scattered  and  unprotected  settlements  on  the  frontiers, 
British  Generals  and  British  statesmen  sought  to  subdue 
the  rebellion  in  their  western  colonies,  and  crush  out  lite 
and  liberty  from  the  new-born  nation. 

The  great  event  of  1777,  was  the  invasion  of  Burgoyne, 
and  the  defeat  and  capture  of  his  army.  In  this  cam- 
paign the  forces  under  Butler  and  Brant  were  with  St. 
Leger  in  the  siege  of  Fort  Schuyler,!and  were  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Oriskany. 

Although  the  troquois  had  shamefully  broken  their 
pledge  to  remain  neutral  during  the  contest  between  the 
Colonies  and  the  mother  country,  yet.  Congress  deter- 
mined to  make  a  still  further  effort  to  secure  their  good 
will,  and  sent  a  deputation  to  meet  them  at  Johnstown  in 
March,  1778.  It  was  estimated  that  seven  hundred  sav- 
ages were  at  this  council,  but  of  these  there  were  only 
three  or  four  Cayagas  and  not  a  single  Seneca.  The  latter 
nation  not  only  refused  to  attend  the  conference,  but  sent 
a  most  insolent  message, in  which  they  affected  great  sur- 
prise, using  their  own  language,  "that  while  our  toma- 
hawks were  sticking  in  their  heads,  (meaning  the  Conti- 
nentals,) their  wounds  bleeding  and  their  eyes  streaming 
with  tears  for  the  loss  of  their  friends  at  German  Flats, 
(Oriskany,)the  commission  should  think  of  inviting  them 
to  a  treaty."  In  his  life  of  Brant,  Colonel  Stone  says, 
"Whiie  the  impression  at  the  time  seemed  to  be  that  the 
Oneidas;  the  Tuscaroras  and  the  Onondagas  would  re- 
main neutral  and  restrain  their  warriors  from  taking  part 
with  the  British, the  commissioners  left  the  council  under 
the  full  persuasion  that  from  the  Senecas,  the  Cayugas, 


or  SULLI VAX'S  EXPEDITION.  97 

and  the  greater  part  of  the  Mohawks, nothing  but  revenge 
for  their  lost  friends  and  tarnished  glory  at  Oriskany 
and  Fort  Schuyler,  was  to  be  anticipated." 

This  year,  1778,  was  marked  by  a  series  of  attacks  on 
the  most  important  frontier  towns  in  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania.  In  January,  predatory  excursions  were 
begun  against  the  settlers  on  the  Susqueharma,and  before 
the  close  of  spring, of  more  than  a  hundred  families  scat- 
tered along  the  river  above  the  Lackawanna,  not  one  re- 
mained. Then  came  the  destruction  of  Wyoming,  and 
the  piteous  tale  of  sorrow  and  distress  and  death  had 
hardly  been  told  when  there  followed  in  swift  succession 
the  destruction  of  Andrustown,  of  the  German  Flats  and 
of  Cherry  Valley.  As  the  terror-stricken  fugitives  fled  to 
the  adjoining  settlements,  the}7  told  with  every  conceiva- 
ble exaggeration,  the  story  of  their  sufferings,  and  the 
hideous  cruelty  and  savageness  of  both  Tory  and  Indian. 
Every  messenger  from  the  frontiers  brought  a  new  tale  of 
butchery,  of  prisoners  tortured,  of  scenes  where  every  re- 
finement of  cruelty  was  in  sharp  competition  with  the  most- 
shocking  barbarism.  This  enemy  in  the  rear,  though  of 
despicable  character  and  of  but  lit  tie  strength,  when  meas- 
ured by  the  ordinary  military  standard,  yet  proved  to  be 
far  more  annoying  than  the  more  formidable  forces  under 
Clinton  and  Howe. 

During  the  winter  of  1778-79,  bands  of  savages  or  dis- 
guised tories  were  incessantly  prowling  around  the  bor- 
der settlements,  keeping  the  people  in  constant  alarm 
and  terror.  Military  men  began  to  discuss  the  feasibility 
of  what  had  for  a  year  been  advocated  by  Washington 
—carrying  the  war  into  the  enemy' s  country.  It  was  ar- 
gued that  the  surest  and  easiest  way  to  protect  the  border 
settlements,  was  to  weaken  the  power  of  the  adversary. 
It  was  known  that  in  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  Genesee 
and  along  the  lakes  of  Central  New  York,  large  crops  of 
corn  and  other  vegetables  were  raised,  not  for  the  sup- 


98  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

port  of  the  Indians  alone,  but  as  supplies  for  the  British 
army.  It  was  thought  that  if  these  crops  should  be  de- 
stroyed, and  the  Indians  driven  back  upon  the  British 
garrisons  which  were  maintained  at  Niagara  and  Oswego, 
it  would  largely  increase  the  expense  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment in  carrying  on  the  war,  embarrass  their  opera- 
tions through  the  failure  of  their  expected  supplies, place 
a  greater  distance  between  the  Indians  and  the  frontiers, 
and  teach  them  wholesome  lessons  of  the  power  of  the 
colonies  to  visit  upon  them  the  vengeance  which  their 
cruelties  deserved.  The  territory  it  was  proposed  to  lay 
waste  was  that  occupied  by  the  Senecas  and  Cayugas,the 
two  most  powerful  nations  of  the  Iroquois,  and  the  most 
haughty  and  implacable  in  their  enmity  to  the  people  of 
the  States. 

In  the  autumn,  of  1778,  the  New  York  authorities  had 
determined  to  send  a  strong  force  into  the  very  heart  of 
the  Iroquois  country,  to  punish  severely  the  Mohawks 
and  Onondagas  for  their  breach  of  faith,  and  their  cruel- 
ties upon  the  patriot  frontiersmen,  but  it  was  abandoned 
on  account  of  the  lateness  of  the  season.  In  September, 
however,  Colonel  Thomas  Hartley  of  the  Eleventh  Penn- 
sylvania Eegiment,  with  about  two  hundred  men,  pene- 
trated the  Indian  country  by  the  way  of  the  West  Branch, 
the  Ly coming  and  Towanda  Creeks  as  far  as  Tioga, intend- 
ing to  form  a  junction  with  a  detachment  from  General 
Clinton's  Brigade.  But  finding  the  enemy  in  force  at 
Chemung,  and  not  meeting  the  expected  reinforcements, 
after  recovering  some  property  stolen  by  the  savages,  he 
retired  to  Wyoming,  reaching  that  place  October  1,  in 
safety.  The  subject  was  formally  brought  to  the  attention 
of  Congress,  and  that  body,  Feb.  27,  1779,  passed  a  reso- 
lution authorizing  General  Washington  to  take  the  most 
effectual  measures  for  protecting  the  inhabitants  of  the 
States  and  chastising  the  Indians.  The  Commander-in- 
Chief  determined  to  carry  out  this  resolution  with  vigor. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  99 

General  Hand,  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  of  Wyoming,  each 
of  whom  had  extensive  knowledge  of  the  Indian  country, 
were  consulted.  Lieutenant  (afterwards  Colonel,)  John 
Jenkins,  by  profession  a  survey  or,  who  had  recently  been  a 
captive  among  the  Indians,  and  had  traveled  over  the  very 
country  into  which  it  was  proposed  to  send  the  army,  was 
able  to  give  information  of  great  value,  and  was  retained 
as  chief  guide  to  the  expedition. 

The  plan  of  the  campaign  contemplated  the  entire  de- 
struction of  everything  upon  which  the  Indians  depended 
for  food  or  shelter.  The  invading  army  was  to  enter  the 
Indian  country  in  three  divisions;  one  from  the  south  up 
the  Susquehanna;  the  other  from  the  east  down  that 
river,  the  third  from  the  west  by  the  way  of  the  Alle- 
ghany.  These  were  to  form  a  junction  at  some  conven- 
ient point,  advance  against  the  strongholds  of  the  enemy 
in  such  force  as  could  not  possibly  be  resisted,  and  then 
overrun  the  whole  Iroquois  country  west  of  the  Oneida 
villages. 

In  a  letter  to  the  President  of  Congress  dated  April  14, 
1779,  Washington  says:  "The  plan  of  operations  for  the 
campaign  being  determined,  a  commanding  officer  was  to 
be  appointed  for  the  Indian  expedition.  This  command, 
according  to  all  present  appearances,  will  probably  be  of 
the  second,  if  not  of  the  first,  importance  of  the  campaign. 
The  officer  conducting  it  has  a  flattering  prospect  of  ac- 
quiring more  credit  than  can  be  expected  by  any  other 
this  year;  and  he  has  the  best  reason  to  hope  for  success. 
Gen.  Lee,  from  his  situation,  was  out  of  the  question; 
Gen.  Schuyler,  (who,  by  the  way,  would  have  been  most 
agreeable  to  me),  was  so  uncertain  of  continuing  in  the 
army,  that  I  could  not  appoint  him;  Gen.  Putnam  I  need 
not  mention.  I  therefore  made  the  offer  of  it,  for  the 
appointment  could  no  longer  be  delayed,  to  Gen.  Gates, 
who  was  next  in  seniority,  though  perhaps  I  might  have 
avoided  it,  if  I  had  been  so  disposed,  from  his  having  a 

7 


100  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

command  by  the  special  appointment  of  Congress.  My 
letter  to  him  on  the  occasion,  I  believe  yon  will  think 
was  conceived  in  very  candid  and  polite  terms,  and  it 
merited  a  different  answer  from  the  one  given  to  it." 

Washington  had  written  to  Gates  on-  the  6th  of  March, 
who  answered:  "Last  night  I  had  the  honor  of  your 
Excellency' s  letter.  The  man  who  undertakes  the  Indian 
service,  should  enjoy  youth  and  strength;  requisites  I  do 
not  possess.  It  therefore  grieves  me  that  your  Excel- 
lency should  offer  me  the  only  command  to  which  I  am 
entirely  unequal.  In  obedience  to  your  command  I  have 
forwarded  your  letter" to  General  Sullivan." 

Sullivan*  accepted  the  command  and  immediately  be- 
gan preparing  the  details  for  the  expedition.  It  was  de- 
termined that  the  center  or  main  division  of  the  army 
should  rendezvous  at  Wyoming,  whence  baggage  andsup- 


*Major-General  John  Sullivan  was  born  at  Somersworth,  in  New  Hampshire,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Berwick,  in  Maine,  February  18,  1741,  and  was  at  the 
date  of  the  expedition  39  years  of  age.  He  had  acquired  a  good  education  under  the  di- 
rection of  his  father,  who  was  a  school  teacher,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at 
Durham,  N.  H. ,  which  continued  to  be  his  place  of  residence  until  his  death  In  1772, 
he  was  Major  of  the  New  Hampshire  Regiment.  In  1774  and  1775  he  was  delegate  to 
Congress,  and  by  that  body  was  appointed  Major-General  in  July,  1776.  His  courage, 
bravery  and  skill  were  unquestioned.  He  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  Washington  and 
his  compatriots.  His  conduct  in  this  expedition  was  the  subject  of  severe  criticism  in 
certain  circles,  and  characterized  as  vandal  and  unmllitary.  His  usual  practice  of  fir- 
ing a  morning  and  evening  gun,  his  destruction  of  the  houses  and  orchards  of  the  enemy, 
were  declared  to  be  unwise  and  unsoldierly.  Sullivan  bore  these  criticisms  in  patience* 
and.for  the  most  part  in  silence;  and  such  was  his  love  for  Washington,  that  never  did 
he  allude  to  the  fact,  in  his  own  defense,  that  in  those  things  for  which  he  was  blamed, 
he  was  acting  under  the  express  direction  of  the  Commander-in-Chief,  pref-  rring  ratb- 
er  himself  1 3  suffer  in  silence  than  that  his  beloved  Washington  should  bear  reproach. 
Owing  to  exposure  In  this  expedition,  and  the  derangement  of  his  Hisiuess  growing 
out  of  his  prolonged  absence  in  the  camp,  he  asked  leave  to  retire  from  the  army  at  the 
close  of  the  campaign.  But  his  subsequent  life  was  largely  spent  in  public  busi- 
ness. In  1780  and  1781  he  was  a  delegate  to  Congress,  in  1782  was  appointed  Attorney- 
General,  and  re-appointed  on  the  adoption  of  the  new  Constitut  on  in  1784.  In  1786  and 
1787  he  was  President  of  the  State.  In  1788  he  was  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives of  New  Hampshire,  and  President  of  the  Convention  that  ratified  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States.  In  1789  he  was  Presidential  Elector  and  voted  for  Washing- 
ton; and  in  March  of  the  same  year  was  elected  President  of  the  Ptat«  for  the  third 
time.  In  1789,  he  was  appointed  by  Washington,  Judge  of  the  District  Court  of  New 
Hampshire,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  -January  93,  1795,  in  the  fifty-fifth  yea 
of  his  age. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  101 

plies  could  be  transported  to  Tioga  and  beyond,  by  water. 
This  division  was  to  be  made  up  of  three  Brigades — the 
Xew  Jersey,  commanded  by  Brigadier- General  William 
Maxwell,*  composed  of  the  First  Regiment, under  Colonel 
Matthias  Ogden;  the  Second,  under  Colonel  Israel  Shreve; 
the  Third,  commanded  by  Colonel  Elias  Dayton,  and 
the  Independent  or  Fifth,  better  known  from  the  name 
of  its  commander,  as  Colonel  Oliver  Spencer' s  Regiment ; 
also  David  Forsman's  Regiment,  and  Colonel  Elisha  Shel- 
don's Connecticut  Riflemen,  both  subsequently  merged 
into  Spencer's  Regiment.  The  Second  was  the  New 
Hampshire  Brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier- General 
Enoch  Poor,+  comprising  from  that  State,  the  First  Regi- 
ment, under  Colonel  Joseph  Cilley  ;  the  Second,  com- 
manded by  Lieutenant-Colonel  George  Reid  ;  the  Third, 


*Brigadier-General  William  Maxwell,  Commandant  of  the  Jersey  line,  was  a  gentle- 
man of  refinement  and  au  officer  of  high  character.  Of  his  personal  history  but  little 
is  known.  It  is  believed  he  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  at  an  early  age  was  brought  by  his 
parents  to  Sew  Jersey.  When  quite  young:  he  entered  the  military  service,  and  at  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war  was  m  ids  Colonel  of  the  Second  Battalion  of 
the  First  Fstablishment,  was  with  Montgomery  in  his  Canada  Campaign,  promoted  to 
Brigadier-General  October,  1776,  and  commanded  the  Jersey  Brigade  in  the  battles  of 
Brandywine  and  Germantown,  and  indeed  all  the  battles  in  which  the  Jersey  Brigade 
was  engaged,  until  he  resigned  his  commission,  July,  1780.  He  died  November,  1798. 


+Briga<1ier-General  Enoch  Poor  was  born  in  Andover,  Mass.,  June  21,  1736  but  for 
most  of  his  life  resided  in  Exeter.N.  H.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Lexington.New 
Hampshire  resolved  to  raise  three  regiments,  the  third  being  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  Col.  Poor.  He  way  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  by  commission,  dated 
February  21,  1777.  In  the  indecisive  but  hard-fought  battle  of  Stillwater.General  Poor's 
Brigade  was  so  closely  engaged  that  it  suffered  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  whole  Amer- 
ican loss  in  killed,  wounded  and  missing.  At  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  General  Poor  led 
the  attack.  The  vigor  and  gallantry  of  the  charge,  supported  \>y  an  adroit  and  furious 
onset  from  Colonel  Morgan,  could  not  be  resisted  and  the  British  line  was  soon  broken. 
The  year  after  the  Sullivan  Campaign,  two  brigades  of  Light  Infantry  chosen  from 
the  whole  army  were  formed, the  command  of  one  of  which,  at  the  request  of  La  Fay- 
ette,  was  given  to  Gen.  Poor.  He  died  of  fever  September  9,  17^0,  in  camp  at  Hacken- 
sack,  N.  J.,  where  he  was  buried  the  next  dav  with  military  honors,  greatly  lamented 
by  the  army  in  which  he  was  deservedly  popular.  General  Washington  declared  him  to 
he  "an  officer  of  distinguished  merit,  who  as  a  citizen  and  a  soldier,  had  every  claim  to 
the  esteem  of  his  country.'-  It  has  been  mentioned  as  no  small  tribute  to  his  memory, 
that  the  Marquis  La  Fayette.  on  his  second  visit  to  this  country,  at  a  public  entertain- 
ment, should  have  proposed  the  sentiment,  "The  memory  of  Light  Jnfpntry  Poor  and 
Yorktown  Scammel." 


1Q2  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

or  Scammel's  Regiment,  under  command  of  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Henry  Dearborn;  and  the  Second  New  York 
commanded  by  Colonel  Phillip  Van  Cortlandt.  The 
third  was  a  Brigade  of  Light  Troops,  under  Briga- 
dier-General Edward  Hand,*  composed-of  the  Eleventh 
Pennsylvania  Regiment,  commanded  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Adam  Hubley;  the  German  Regiment,  or  what 
there  was  left  of  it,  commanded  by  Major  Daniel  Burk- 
hardt;  Captain  Simon  Spalding's  Independent  Wy- 
oming company  ;  the  Wyoming  militia,  under  Captain, 
(afterward  Colonel,)  John  Franklin,  and  Schott's  Rifle 
Corps,  with  Captain  Selin  in  command.  It  was  expected 
that  the  Pennsylvania  and  some  other  companies  would 
be  filled  up  by  enlistment,  when  the  whole  number  would 
be  about  3,500  men.  There  was  also  a  section  of  Artil- 
lery under  command  of  Colonel  Thomas  Proctor*  of  Phil- 
adelphia. 

The  right  division  of  the  army  was  the  New  York  Bri- 
gade, commanded  by  Brigadier- General  James  Clinton, 
consisting  of  the  Third  Regiment,  under  Colonel  Peter 


*Brigadler-General  Edward  Hand,  though  the  youngest  of  the  Brigadiers,  held  the 
most  important  position  in  the  command,  next  to  Sullivan  himself.  Born  In  Ireland 
the  last  day  of  1744,  he  entered  the  British  army  as  Ensign,  served  for  two  years  in  his 
regiment  in  this  country, then  resigned  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  At  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution  he  entered  the  Continental  service  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  but  was 
maile  Colonel  of  a  rifle  corps  In  1776,  was  in  the  battles  of  Long  Island  and  Tre:  ton, 
and  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1777  was  in  command  at  Fittsburg,  where  he  acquired 
'such  knowledge  cf  the  Indian  country  and  their  modes  of  warfare  as  made  his  services 
indispensable  to  the  expedition.  Washington  placed  great  confidence  in  his  judgment 
and  consulted  him  freely  in  regard  to  the  feasibility  of  the  enterj  rise.  In  1780,  he  suc- 
ceeded Scamme)  as  Adjutant  Geneial  of  the  army,  and  held  the  position  until  the  close 
of  the  war  He  was  Known  as  a  lover  of  fine  horses  and  an  excellent  horseman.  He 
died  In  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  September  3, 1802,  aged  58  years. 


tColonel  Thomas  Proctor  was  born  in  Ireland,  but  in  early  life  came  to  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  worked  at  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  until  the  beginning  of  the  war, 
when  h»  raised  a  company,  was  commissioned  captain,  and  was  soon  promoted  to  Col- 
onel. He  was  a  man  of  great  execulive  ability  and  was  frequently  serviceable  to  the 
government  in  other  than  a  military  capacity.  In  1791,  he  was  sent  on  a  mission  to  the 
Western  Indians,  which  he  performed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  government.  The 
journal  kept  while  on  this  mission  is  printed  in  the  New  Series  of  Pennsylvania  Ar- 
chives, Volume  VI. 


OF   SULLIVAN'S   EXPEDITION.  103 

Gransevoort,  who  in  1777  gained  great  renown  for  his  he- 
roic defense  of  Fort  Schuyler  against  St.  Leger ;  the 
Fourth,  or  Livingston' s  Regiment,  under  Lieutenant  Col- 
onel Frederick  Weissenfeldt,  the  Fifth,  or  Independent 
Regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Lewis  Dubois ;  the 
Sixth  Massachusetts,  or  Alden's  Regiment,  commanded 
by  Major  Whiting  ;  Colonel  Ichabod  Alden  having  been 
killed,  the  autumn  previous, at  Cherry  Valley,  and  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Stacia  being  a  prisoner  with  the  enemy  ; 
the  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  William  Butler  ;  six  companies  of  Morgan' s  Rifle- 
men, with  Major  James  Parr  the  senior  officer,  and  a  small 
command  under  Colonel  John  Harper.  The  nominal 
strength  of  the  Brigade  was  about  1,600  men. 

The  left  division  was  to  consist  of  troops  at  Pittsburg, 
numbering  about  600  or  800  men,  under  command  of  Col- 
onel Broadhead.  As  this  force  never  became  connected 
with  the  main  army,  and  never  received  orders  from  Gen- 
eral Sullivan,  nothing  further  need  be  said  of  it. 

Sullivan  reached  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  May  7, and  the 
next  day  writes  to  Washington,  saying,  "I  will  do  every- 
thing in  my  power  to  set  the  wheels  in  motion,  and  make 
the  necessary  preparations  for  the  army  to  move  on."  He 
adds,  '  'the  expedition  is  no  secret  in  this  quarter.  A  ser- 
geant of  Spencer's  who  was  made  prisoner  at  Mohaca- 
moe  and  carried  to  Chemung,  has  just  returned  ;  he  says 
they  [the  enemy]  know  of  the  expedition  and  are  taking 
every  step  to  destroy  the  communications  on  the  Susque- 
hanna.  *  *  *  I  think  the  sooner  we  can  get  into  the 
country  the  better."  This  last  sentence  is  in  allusion  to 
the  verbal  instructions  of  Washington  not  to  hasten  his 
march  from  Easton  until  it  was  known  what  would  be 
the  future  movement  of  D'Estaing,  then  in  the  West  In- 
dies, who  was  expected  soon  to  sail  north,  and  with 
whom  the  Commander-in -Chief  wished  to  be  ready  to  co- 
operate in  striking  some  decisive  blow  upon  the  enemy. 


104  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

Sullivan  was  also  directed  to  so  time  his  movements  that 
he  should  destroy  the  crops  before  the  enemy  could  gather 
them,  and  at  the  same  time  be  so  late  that  they  could  nei- 
ther rebuild  nor  replant.  There  was  no  need,  however,  to 
caution  against  too  much  haste,  as  it  was  past  the  middle 
of  June  before  the  road  was  opened  from  Easton  to  Wy- 
oming. 

In  the  meanwhile,  some  of  the  Jersey  troops  were  in  a 
state  of  mutiny  because  the  authorities  of  that  State  had 
not  only  neglected  to  provide  for  the  depreciation  of  the 
currency,  but  had  failed  to  pay  even  the  nominal  sum  in 
the  almost  worthless  Continental  paper  money,  due  them 
for  their  services.  It  required  all  the  address  of  the  offi- 
cers to  quiet  the  minds  of  the  soldiers,  and  Washington 
declared  that  nothing  had  occurred  during  the  war,  which 
so  filled  him  with  alarm.  Spies  from  the  enemy  were  also 
busily  at  work  amongst  the  disaffected  soldiers  urging 
them  to  desert  the  army  and  betray  their  country.  The 
apprehension  of  some  of  these  and  the  execution  of  the 
ringleaders,  put  a  stop  to  further  desertion. 

Difficulties  of  another  sort  began  to  present  themselves. 
Many  people  in  Pennsylvania  had  opposed  the  expedi- 
tion from  the  first.  The  Quakers  of  Philadelphia,  opposed 
to  all  war  on  principle,  were  specially  averse  to  all  meas- 
ures which  looked  toward  punishing  the  Indians,  who,  they 
alleged,  were  far  more  deserving  of  pity  than  blame  for 
any  excesses  of  which  they  might  be  guilty  ;  while  what 
was  known  in  that  State,  in  the  Wyoming  controversy,  as 
the  Pennamite  party,  which  included  men  possessing  large 
wealth  and  much  political  influence,  who  held  title  under 
Pennsylvania  for  considerable  tracts  of  land  in  the  Wy- 
oming Valley,  upon  which  the  Connecticut  people  had 
settled,  while  they  professed  to  commiserate  the  sufferings 
of  the  people,  did  not  hesitate  to  express  their  satisfac- 
tion at  being  clear  of  the  hated  "Intruders,"  and  their 
perfect  willingness  that  the  Indians  should  keep  them  out 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  105 

of  the  disputed  territory  until  the  war  was  over.  This  op- 
position began  to  show  itself  early  in  the  campaign,  in  the 
lack  of  hearty  co-operation  and  the  failure  to  furnish  either 
their  quota  of  men  or  supplies -for  the  army. 

On  the  12th  of  June,  Sullivan  wrote  to  Washington,  giv- 
ing him,  in  detail,  the  difficulties  he  had  been  compelled 
to  meet,  who  in  reply  says,  (June  21st,)  "I  am  very  sorry 
you  are  like  to  be  disappointed  in  the  independent  com- 
panies expected  from  Pennsylvania,  and  that  you  have 
encountered  greater  difficulties  than  you  looked  for.  I 
am  satisfied  that  every  exertion  in  your  power  will  be 
made  and  I  hope  that  your  eventual  operations  will  be 
attended  with  fewer  obstacles." 

On  the  18th  of  June,  Sullivan  broke  camp  at  Easton,and, 
on  the  evening  of  the  23d,  arrived  at  Wyoming.  Here,  in- 
stead of  finding  the  supplies  he  had  expected,  a  new  dis- 
appointment awaited  him.  Of  the  salted  meat,  not  a 
pound  was  fit  to  eat.*  Of  the  cattle,  many  of  them  were 
too  poor  to  walk  and  some  could  not  even  stand.  Every- 
thing pertaining  to  the  Commissary's  Department  was  in 
a  deplorable  condition,  and  the  clothing  department  was 
in  no  better.  On  the  21st  of  July,  Sullivan  writes  that 
more  than  a  third  of  his  soldiers  have  not  a  shirt  to  their 
backs. 

As  early  as  May  19,  Colonel  Pickering,  then  on  General 
Washington' s  staff,  wrote  to  Joseph  Reed,  President  of 
the  Supreme  Executive  Council  of  Pennsylvania,  stating 
the  necessity  of  hastening  forward  the  supplies  for  the 
army,  and  adds,  ''we  expected  ere  this  time  that  all  the 
stores  would  have  been  at  least  on  their  way  to  Esther- 
ton,  but  for  want  of  wagons  three-fourths  of  them  are  in 
this  city."  The  next  day  the  Board  ask  that  they  may 
have  immediately  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  wagons  to 


*It  is  but  just  to  say  that  the  reason  rendered  for  this  was  that  the  meat  was  neces- 
sarily packed  in  casks  made  of  green  lumber,  which  soured  the  brine  and  spoiled  the 
meat,  notwithstanuing  the  utmost  precautions  were  used. 


106  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

convey  supplies  to  the  Susquehanna.  On  the  31st  of  May, 
General  Washington  himself  writes  to  President  Reed 
urging  that  the  stores  be  sent  forward  with  all  expedi- 
tion. 

Instead  of  exerting  themselves  to  forward  the  supplies 
so  urgently  demanded,  and  which  had  been  faithfully 
promised  beforehand,  the  authorities  complained  that  the 
requisitions  of  Sullivan  were  exorbitant  and  threatened 
to  prefer  charges  against  him  before  Congress. 

Sullivan  says  also  that  the  Executive  Council  of  Penn- 
sylvania engaged  to  furnish  seven  hundred  and  twenty 
rangers  and  riflemen,  and  on  the  21st  of  July,  "not  a  man  of 
them  had  joined  the  army, nor  are  any  about  to  do  it."  The 
excuses  rendered  were  that  the  Quartermaster  paid  such 
large  wages  for  boatmen,  that  no  one  could  be  persuaded 
into  the  military  service — and  Sullivan  was  further  told 
that  he  had  men  enough  for  his  expedition,  although  it 
was  the  opinion  of  both  himself  and  Washington,  that 
his  force  was  too  small  for  the  exigencies  of  the  cam- 
paign. 

The  Commander  at  once  set  about  with  great  vigor  to 
supply  his  army  with  the  necessary  stores  and  means  for 
their  transportation.  Boats  were  secured,  four  hundred 
and  fifty  boatmen  were  enlisted,  and  soldiers  were  detailed, 
who,  under  the  direction  of  Gen.  Hand  and  other  officers, 
were  busily  engaged  for  six  weeks  in  collecting  the  sup- 
plies which  he  expected  would  be  in  Wyoming  on  his  ar- 
rival there. 

Sullivan  was  by  no  means  the  only  officer  who  com- 
plained of  delinquency  and  criminal  neglect  in  the 
State  Commissary  Department,  In  a  letter  to  President 
Reed,  of  July  22,  William  Maclay,  the  Lieutenant  of 
Northumberland,  says  :  "  I  wish  not  to  complain  of  any 
one,  nor  would  be  understood  so.  I,  however,  know  the 
wretched  slothfulness  of  many  who  are  engaged  in  the 
public  department,  and  would  rather  do  a  piece  of  busi- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  107 

ness  myself  than  have  the  trouble  of  calling  on  them." 
Under  date  of  July  14,  Colonel  Hubley  writes  to  Presi- 
dent Reed  :   "Our  expedition  is  carrying  on  rather  slow, 
owing  to  the  delay  of  our  provisions,  &c.     I  sincerely 
pity  General  Sullivan's  situation.      People  who  are  not 
acquainted  with  the  reasons  of  the  delay,  I'm  informed, 
censure  him,  which  is  absolutely  cruel  and  unjust.  IN  o  man 
can  be  more  assiduous  than  he  is.     Unless  some  steps  are 
taken  to  find  out  and  make  an  example  of  the  delinquent, 
[Quartermasters  and  Commissaries]  I  fear  our  expedition 
will  be  reduced  to  a  much  less  compass  than  was  intend- 
ed."   July  30th  he  writes  again :     "To-morrow  we  march, 
and  I  am  sorry  to  say  exceedingly   ill  provided  to  carry 
through  the  extensive  expedition.    The  same  unparalleled 
conduct  of  those  employed  in  supplying  this  army,  seems 
still  to  exist.     I  hope  to  see  the  day  when  the  delinquents 
will  be  brought  to  proper  punishment.     My  regiment  I 
fear  will  be  almost  totally  naked  before  we  can  possibly 
return.      I  have  scarcely  a  coat  or   blanket  for  every 
seventh  man.     The  state  stores  are  all  issued  and  deliver- 
ed to  the  regiment."     The  testimony  on  all  sides  is,  that 
the  Commissary  Department  was  in  the  hands  of  men, 
who  were  either  entirely  incapable  or  grossly  negligent. 
Of  course  great  allowance  should  be  made  for  the  de- 
pressed condition  of  the  country,  the  worthlessness  of 
the  currency,  and  the  poverty  of  the  people,  but  the  real 
cause  was  mainly  to  be  found  in  the  coldness  and  real 
disfavor  with  which  the  State  authorities  regarded  the 
expedition,  and  the  entirely  inadequate  idea  they  had  of 
its  extent  and  necessities. 

On  the  evening  of  the  13th  of  July,  thirty-three  of  the 
German  Regiment  deserted,  on  the  plea  that  their  term 
of  enlistment  had  expired.  They  were  apprehended, 
brought  back,  tried  by  court  martial,  the  leaders  con- 
demned to  suffer  death,  and  the  others  to  severe  punish- 
ment. On  the  petition  of  the  criminals,  with  the  promise 


108  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

to  serve  faithfully  until  properly  discharged,  and  the 
recommendation  of  a  board  of  officers,  they  were  pardon- 
ed, and  cheerfully  took  their  places  in  the  ranks. 

The  movements  of  Sullivan  had  not  been  unobserved 
by  the  enemy,  who  naturally  concluded  that  the  gather- 
ing of  such  a  force  and  the  collection  of  such  extensive 
stores  indicated  some  offensive  movement,  and  that  the 
invasion,  which  they  had  treated  with  so  much  ridicule, 
might  be  a  more  serious  affair  than  they  had  anticipated. 

Bold  and  desperate  measures  were  undertaken  to  divert 
the  attention  of  the  General,  divide  his  force,  and,  if 
possible,  embarrass  or  delay  his  movements,  by  making 
vigorous  attacks  on  the  right  and  on  the  left  of  him. 

For  the  protection  of  the  scattered  settlements  on  the 
West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna,  a  fort  had  been  erected 
fifteen  miles  above  JN  orthumberland,  called  Freeland's 
Fort.  On  the  28th  of  July  one  hundred  British  soldiers, 
under  command  of  Captain  Macdonald,  and  two  hun- 
dred Indians,  invested  the  fort.  Captain  Hawkins  Boon, 
a,  few  miles  below,  hearing  the  firing,  started  with  thirty 
men  for  the  relief  of  the  garrison.  Before  reaching  there, 
•the  garrison,  which  consisted  of  thirty-two  men,  sur- 
rendered, and  Captain  Boon's  party  were  surrounded  by 
the  enemy  and  fourteen  of  his  men  were  slain.  Great 
panic  ensued,  and  express  after  express  arrived  at  Wyom- 
ing beseeching  Sullivan  to  send  them  aid.  In  reply  he 
wrote  to  Colonel  Cook :  "Nothing  could  afford  me  more 
pleasure  than  to  relieve  the  distressed,  or  to  have  it  in 
my  power  to  add  to  the  safety  of  your  settlement,  but 
should  I  comply  with  the  requisition  made  by  you,  it 
would  effectually  answer  the  intention  of  the  enemy  and 
destroy  the  grand  object  of  this  expedition.  To-morrow 
the  army  moves  from  this  place,  and  by  carrying  the  war 
immediately  into  the  Indian  country,  it  will  most  cer- 
tainly draw  them  out  of  yours." 

The  same  week  Brant  with  a  party  of  warriors  fell 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  109 

upon  the  Minisink  settlements  in  Orange  Co.,  N.  Y., 
killing  several  of  the  inhabitants  and  making  others 
prisoners.  One  hundred  and  fifty  Orange  County  mili- 
tia marching  for  their  relief,  were  decoyed  into  an  am- 
bush and  more  than  a  hundred  of  them  slain.  An  attack 
followed  on  the  settlement  of  Lacka  waxen,  which  was 
broken  up  with  the  loss  of  several  lives  and  a  number 
taken  prisoners.  Sullivan,  however,  was  too  good  a  Gen- 
eral to  divide  his  force  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy.  He 
detached  not  a  man  from  his  main  body,  but  hastened 
the  preparations  for  his  departure. 

On  the  last  day  of  July,  everything  being  in  readiness 
so  far  as  circumstances  would  allow,  about  one  o'  clock  in 
the  afternoon,  the  army  broke  camp  at  Wyoming  and  be- 
gan its  forward  march.  Two  Captains,  six  Subalterns, 
and  one  hundred  men  were  left  as  the  garrison  for  Wyo- 
ming under  command  of  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  who 
was  charged  with  forwarding  such  supplies  as  might  be 
collected.  The  Artillery  consisted  of  eight  brass  pieces, 
viz  :  two  six-pounders,  four  three-pounders,  two  howit- 
zers, carrying  five  and  a  half -inch  shells,  and  a  light  piece 
for  carrying  either  shot  or  shell,  called  a  cohorn.*  The 
artillery,  ammunition,  the  salted  pro  visions,  flour,  liquors, 
and  heavy  baggage  were  loaded  on  two  hundred  and  four- 
teen boats,  f  manned  by  four  hundred  and  fifty  enlisted 
boatmen,  Colonel  Proctor's  Regiment,  and  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  soldiers  ;  all  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Proctor.  To  General  Hand  and  his  light  troops  was 


*A  Cohorn  is  a  small  brass  piece  mounted  on  a  wooden  block  with  handles, so  that  It 
could  be  carried  a  short  distance  by  hand.  Colonel  Proctor  conceived  the  idea  of  put- 
ting legs  under  it,  and  placing  it  on  board  one  of  the  light  boats  which  was  to  precede 
the  fleet,  called  it  the  "Grasshopper,"  because  the  reaction  of  the  discharge  threw  it 
over  backwards. 


tA  different  number  of  boats  has  been  given  by  other  writers, and  by  the  journalists 
of  the  Campaign.  I  have  followed  Colonel  Proctor's  own  account  as  published  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Archives,  New  Series,  IV.,  557,  Chaplain  Rogers  gives  the  number  one 
hundred  and  twenty. 


HO  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL. 

assigned  the  post  of  honor,  the  front  of  the  column,  which 
was  directed  to  keep  about  a  mile  in  advance  of  the  main 
body.-  Advanced  and  flanking  parties  were  kept  out 
to  guard  against  surprise  from  the  enemy,  and  the  bri- 
gade was  so  arranged  as  to  be  instantly  effective  in  case 
of  sudden  attack.  Then  followed  the  pack  horses  about 
twelve  hundred  in  number  and  seven  hundred  beef  cattle, 
then  Maxwell's  Brigade  advancing  by  its  right  in  files, 
sections  or  platoons  according  to  the  nature  of  the  coun- 
try, then  Poor's  Brigade  advancing  by  the  left  in  the 
same  manner.  A  regiment  taken  alternately  from  Max- 
well's and  Poor's  Brigades  was  detailed  as  rear  guard. 
Sixty  men  under  Captain  Gifford  of  the  Third  Jersey 
Regiment  were  directed  to  go  up  the  west  side  of  the 
river  to  prevent  any  surprise  or  interruption  from  that 
quarter  ;  and  four  light  boats,  well  manned,  were  ordered 
to  keep  abreast  of  them  and  bring  them  over  to  the  main 
body,  in  case  of  an  attack  by  a  superior  force. 

The  firing  of  a  gun  from  the  "Adventure,"  Colonel 
Proctor's  flag  boat,  at  1  o'clock,  P.  M.  was  the  signal  for 
the  fleet  to  weigh  anchor.  In  a  few  moments  the  whole 
army  was  in  motion,  with  flags  flying,  drums  beating, 
fifes  screaming,  and  Colonel  Proctor's  regimental  band 
playing  a  lively  air.  Passing  the  fort  a  salute  of  thirteen 
guns  was  fired  which  was  answered  by  a  like  number 
from  the  fleet.  When  the  whole  line  got  in  motion  the 
distance  from  front  to  rear  was  about  two  miles,  and 
sometimes  farther,  while  the  fleet  was  spread  out  at  least 
an  equal  distance.  Owing  to  unskillful  loading  or  mis- 
management, the  fleet  experienced  great  difficulty  in 
making  headway  against  the  rapid  current  of  the  Susque- 
hanna;  and  equal  difficulty  was  experienced  with  the 
pack  horses,  the  lading  either  being  badly  packed,  or 
the  slings  improperly  adjusted,  packs  were  frequently 
falling  off,  or  the  horses  liable  to  stumble  and  fall. 

On  the  9th  of  August,  the  array  encamped  at  Sheshe- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  Ill 

quiri,  on  the  llth*  forded  the  Susquehanna, a  mile  below 
the  junction,  crossed  the  Tioga  or  Chemung,  and  encamped 
at  Tioga,  the  site  of  an  Indian  town,  on  the  peninsula, 
between  the  rivers.  In  this  day' s  march  the  army  passed 
over  the  remains  of  Queen  Esther's  town,f  which  was 
situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Susquehanna, at  its  junc- 
tion with  the  Tioga  or  Chemung. 

On  the  first  flat  above  the  present  village  of  Chemung, 
stood  the  Indian  town  Chemung  in  1779.  The  old  town, 
abandoned  a  number  of  years  previous,  was  nearly  three 
miles  below,  and  near  the  present  village.  Sullivan  de- 
termined, if  Dossible,  to  surprise  this  town  and  destroy 
it,  and  thus  prevent  it  from  being  used  as  a  rendezvous  for 
parties  to  commit  depredations  upon  his  camp.  Accord- 
ingly the  same  evening  of  his  arrival  at  Tioga,  (August 
llth,)  Captain  John  N.  Cummings  of  the  Second  New 
Jersey  Regiment,  Lieutenant  Jenkins,  the  guide,  Captain 
Franklin  of  the  Wyoming  militia  and  five  others  were 
sent  to  reconnoitre  Chemung.  Carefully  they  threaded 


*The  places  and  dates  of  encampment  from  Wyoming  to  Sheshequin  are  as  fol- 
lows: 

July  31,  Lackawar.na,  present  Coxton,  Luzerne  County,  Pa. 

August  1  and  2,  Quialutimunck,  near  Ransom  Station,  Luzerne  County,  Pa. 

August  3,  Tunkhannock,  Wyoming  County,  Pa. 

August  4,  Van  der  Lippe's,  Black  Walnut,  Wyoming  County,  Pa. 

Augusts,  6,  7,  Wyalusing,  Bradlord  County,  Pa. 

August  8,  Wysox  and  Standing  Stone,  Bradford  County,  Pa. 

August  9,  Sheshequin,  Bradford  County.  Pa. 


tQueen  Esther,  whose  palace  and  village  was  burned  by  Colonel  Thomas  Hartley  in 
the  Autumn  of  1778,  and  who  made  herself  notorious  by  her  barbaious  conduct  at 
Wyoming,  was  the  grand-daughter  of  Madame  Montour.daughter  of  French  Margaret, 
and  sister  of  Catherine,  whose  town  was  at  the  head  of  Seneca  Lake.  She  was  the  wife 
of  Echobund,  Cor  EghobundOw  ho  was  the  chief  or  king  of  the  village  of  Sheshequin, on 
the  site  of  present  Ulster,  Bradford  County,  Pa.,  built  about  1765.  It  was  for  a  number 
of  years  the  seat  of  a  Moravian  mission,  which  in  1772  was  removed  farther  west.  Af- 
ter the  place  was  abandoned  by  the  Moravians  and  their  converts,  Echobund  with  the 
remnant  of  his  class  moved  four  or  five  miles  farther  up  the  river,  where  he  probably 
died.  Queen  Esther  figured  prominently  in  the  Susquehanna  Valley,  until  the  Sullivan 
expedition.after  which  her  name  is  seldom  mentioned.  She  died  on  the  eastern  shore  of 
Cayuga  Lake,  about  the  beginning  of  the  present  century.  Her  only  son  was  slain  at 
Wyoming,  the  day  before  the  battle. 


SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

their  way  through  the  tangled  forests,  avoiding  the  trail, 
yet  keeping  sufficiently  near  it  not  to  lose  their  way, 
watchful  of  an  ambush  and  listening  for  the  footfall  of  a 
foe,  they  made  their  way  to  the  crest  of  the  high  hill  now 
owned  by  Miles  C.  Baldwin,  Esq.,  where  they  could  look 
down  upon  the  town.  There  all  was  bustle  and  confusion. 
The  Indians  were  evidently  expecting  an  attack,  and 
were  hastening  to  a  place  of  safety.  The  scouts  returned 
the  next  day, about  three  o'clock  P.  M.  On  hearing  their 
report  the  Commander-in-chief  issued  orders  for  the  sol- 
diers to  be  in  readiness  to  march  at  a  moment's  notice, 
and  at  eight  P.  M.,  (August  12th,)  with  the  greater  part 
of  the  troops  under  Generals  Poor  and  Hand,  Sullivan 
set  out  from  Tioga,  leaving  General  Maxwell  in  command 
of  the  camp.  The  soldiers  took  one  day's  rations  in  their 
haversacks,  and  carried  the  little  cohorn  by  hand,  all  the 
way  to  Chemung  and  back  to  camp. 

Night  marches  are  always  attended  with  great  fatigue 
and  many  inconveniences, but  here  these  were  greatly  aug- 
mented. The  path  lay  through  deep  woods  and  tangled 
thickets,  down  into  dark  valleys  and  over  precipitous 
hills  ;  at  one  time  the  soldiers  are  floundering  through  a 
swamp,  at  another  feeling  their  way  along  a  narrow  path 
on  the  hillside  where  there  is  scarcely  room  for  two  to 
walk  abreast,  and  where  a  single  misstep  would  plunge 
headlong  the  unfortunate  comrade  upon  the  rocks  hun- 
dreds of  feet  below — the  day  begins  to  dawn  ere  the  tired 
troops  reached  the  last  i\  arrows.  Covered  by  the  fog, 
however,  they  pushed  on  their  way,  General  Hand  taking 
a  little  more  circuitous  route  to  strike  the  town  in  the  rear, 
while  General  Poor  advanced  upon  the  front.  But,  lo  ! 
the  bird  had  flown.  Only  two  or  three  straggling  Indians 
were  discovered,  and  these  ran  away  as  soon  as  our  men 
came  in  sight,  which  was  a  little  before  sunrise. 

At  his  own  request,  General  Hand  was  permitted  to 
pursue  the  retreating  enemy,  with  Hubley's  Regiment 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  113 

ind  the  Wyoming  troops,  the  latter  a  little  in  front.  He 
had  advanced  about  a  mile,  when,  as  the  company  of 
Captain  Bush,  which  was  the  right  of  the  regiment,  and 
the  Wyoming  companies  pressing  on  rapidly  and  possibly 
with  too  little  caution,  had  just  reached  the  broken 
ground  above  Chemung, known  as  the  "Hog-Backs, "they 
were  fired  upon  by  the  Indians  in  ambush,  killing  six  men, 
viz :  one  sergeant,  one  drummer,  and  four  privates,  all  of  the 
Eleventh  Pennsylvania,  wounding  Captain  Franklin,  Cap- 
tain Carbury,  Adjutant  Huston  and  six  rank  and  file. 
Our  men  returned  the  fire,  pushed  up  the  hill  on  a  run,  and 
<  he  enemy  beat  a  hasty  retreat.  It  was  afterwards  known 
that  the  Indians  had  three  killed  and  a  number  wounded. 
General  Hand  was  recalled  by  orders'from  Sullivan. 

Nearly  one  hundred  acres  of  excellent  corn,  just  in  the 
milk,  were  near  this  town,  the  greater  part  of  which  Gen- 
eral Poor  was  ordered  to  destroy.  A  party  of  the  enemy 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river  fired  upon  the  troops  just 
as  they  were  entering  a  field,  killing  one  and  wounding 
five.  About  forty  acres  of  corn  were  left  for  the  future 
use  of  the  army,  the  rest  destroyed,  the  town  burned, the 
troops  returned  to  their  encampment,reachingTioga  near 
evening  of  the  13th.  greatly  wearied  with  the  fatigue  of 
the  journey  and  the  extreme  heat  of  the  weather.  The 
casualties  were  seven  killed  and  fourteen  wounded.  All 
were  brought  to  Tioga,  where  the  slain  were  buried  with 
military  honors  in  one  grave,  Chaplain  Rogers  officiating 
at  the  religious  services. 

We  can  hardly  imagine  a  scene  in  military  experience 
more  tenderly  solemn  than  this,  when,  after  the  fatigues 
of  that  long  march  and  conflict,  in  the  terrible  heat  of 
that  August  day,  just  at  sunset,  beneath  the  "shadows 
of  Nature's  leafy  temples,"  more  than  an  hundred  miles 
distant  from  the  home  of  a  white  man,  these  dust  be- 
grimmed  soldiers  gather  in  silence  and  in  sorrow,  to  con- 
sign their  comrades,  the  first  to  fall  by  the  enemy's  bul- 


SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

lets  in  the  campaign,  to  the  rest  of  their  quiet  graves. 
With  what  readiness  they  listen  as  their  chaplain  pro- 
nounces the  brief  discourse,  and  how  reverently  they  bow 
their  heads  as  he  "went  to  prayer."  We  can  well  be- 
lieve it  was  no  exaggeration  when  he  records  in  his 
journal  "  The  regiment  very  solemn  and  attentive.  The 
scene  was  exceedingly  affecting."  These  were  among 
the  heroes  who  sleep  in  nameless  graves.  No  living  soul 
knows  the  exact  place  where  their  ashes  lie,  and  probably 
no  one  knows  the  name  of  a  single  one  of  the  slain.* 

For  the  protection  of  the  stores  and  boats  to  be  left  at 
Tioga  during  the  absence  of  the  army,  a  fortification  was 
erected,  which  the  soldiers,  in  honor  of  their  commander, 
called  Fort  Sullivan.  The  site  selected  was  near  the  cen- 
tre of  the  present  village  of  Athens,  where  the  two  rivers 
approach  very  near  each  other.  Four  strong  block 
houses  set  in  the  angles  of  a  parallelogram  served  as 
bastions  for  the  work,  the  two  opposite  ones  resting  on 
the  bank  of  each  river,  and  the  other  two  about  midway 
between,  and  at  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  yards 
from  each  other.  The  curtain  was  made  by  setting  logs 
endwise  into  the  ground,  the  whole  being  surrounded  by 
a  ditch,  making  a  work  of  ample  strength  for  the  place. 

The  ^ew  York  Government  had  determined,  prior  to 
the  Sullivan  expedition,  to  send  a  strong  force  against  the 
Iroquois,  by  the  way  of  the  Mohawk,  and  General  Clinton 
was  making  preparations  accordingly.  After  this  expedi- 
tion was  determined  upon,  it  was  thought  best  to  punish 
the  Onondagas  for  their  repeated  treachery  and  cruelty, 
General  Schuyler,  then  in  command  at  Albany,  with  the 
approval  of  Washington,  therefore,  directed  General 
Clinton  to  send  out  a  strong  detachment  and  destroy  their 
towns  and  break  up  their  haunts.  Accordingly  on  the 

*Joseph  Davis  and  Ezekiel  Davis  both  of  Amherst,  of  the  Third  Company  of  Cilley's 
Regiment,  who  were  reported  killed  pievious  to  August  2Sth,  may  have  been  two  of 
them. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  115 

19th  of  April,  1779, Colonel  Van  Shaick, commanding  the 
First  ISew  York  Regiment,  with  a  detachment  of  five 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  men  including  officers,  made  a 
forced  march  to  their  towns,  which  were  taken  partly 
by  surprise;  twelve  Indians  were  slain, thirty-three  taken 
prisoners,  their  three  villages  entirely  destroyed  with  a 
considerable  quantity  of  corn, beans  and  other  vegetables, 
most  of  their  arms  captured,  a  swivel  at  the  council 
house  disabled,  their  council  fire  extinguished,  and  the 
troops  returned,  after  an  absence  of  six  days,  having 
made  a  journey  of  180  miles,  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
man. 

Genera]  Clinton/'  with  his  brigade  and  stores,  encamp- 
ed at  lake  Otsego,  the  headwaters  of  the  Susquehanna, 
fhe  early  part  of  July,  where,  awaiting  orders  from  Gen- 
eral Sullivan,  he  remained  until  the  9th  of  August.  Lest 
the  river  would  be  rendered  un navigable  by  the  drought 
which  frequently  occurs  in  July  and  August,  he  had 
thrown  a  dam  across  the  outlet  of  the  lake  by  which  its 
waters  were  raised  about  four  feet  above  usual  high  wa- 
ter mark.  On  the  8th  of  August,  the  boats,  two  hundred 
and  fifty  in  number,  were  taken  into  the  Susquehanna, 
loaded  with  the  stores  and  two  small  cannon,  and  man- 
ned with  three  men  to  each  boat.  On  the  next  day, 
the  dam  was  broken  up,and  on  the  flood  thus  created  the 
fleet  floated  grandly  over  the  shoals  and  bars  which 
abound  in  the  upper  part  of  the  stream,  arid  the  army 
took  up  its  course,  by  easy  marches,  for  Tioga.  Not 
reaching  there  as  soon  as  expected,  and  Clinton  having 
expressed  fears  that  his  advance  would  be  impeded  by 


*Brigadier-General  James  Clinton.the  brother  of  one  Governor  and  the  father  of  an- 
other, is  a  name  intimately  blended  with  the  civil  and  military  history  of  the  State  of 
New  York.  He  was  born  in  Orange  County,  N.  Y.,  August  9, 1736.  In  the  French  and 
Indian  war,  1756,  he  distinguished  himself,  serving  under  Bradstreet,  with  the  rank  of 
Captain.  With  the  rank  of  Colonel  he  was  with  Montgomery  in  the  invasion  of  Canada, 
In  1776  he  was  promoted  to  be  Brigadier  General,and  held  various  important  commands 
prior  to  the  Expedition.  After  the  war  he  held  several  civil  positions.and  died  in  Orange 
County,  N.  Y.,  greatly  beloved  and  honored,  December,  1812. 

8 


116  SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

the  enemy,  on  the  16th,  Sullivan  ordered  a  detachment  of 
nine  hundred  men,  properly  officered,  under  command  of 
General  Poor,  to  go  up  the  river,  and  render  Clinton  all 
needful  aid  in  reaching  Tioga.  The  brigade  met  the  de- 
tachment on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  near  the  present 
village  of  Union,  when  they  proceeded  together  to  Fort 
Sullivan,  which  they  reached  about  noon  on  Sunday  the 
22d,  and  were  welcomed  with  salvos  of  artillery,  and  the 
cheers  of  the  men.  while  Colonel  Proctor's  band  enlivened 
the  scene  by  playing  martial  airs.  Colonel  Pawling  with 
a  regiment  of  levies  was  to  have  joined  Clinton  at  Ana- 
quaga,  but  failing  to  make  connection,  returned  to  War- 


warsing.* 


On  the  arrival  of  Clinton,  preparations  for  the  onward 
movement  of  the  army  were  prosecuted  with  great  vigor. 
Some  changes  were  made  in  the  organization  of  the  army. 
The  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Regiment  and  the  companies  of 
riflemen  were  transferred  to  Hand's  Brigade.  Alden's 


*The  following  are  the  dates  and  places  of  encampment  of  this  division  on  the  march 
from  the  foot  of  Otsego  Lake  to  Tioga 

August  9,  Burrows  Farms,  sixteen  miles  from  the  Lake. 

August  10,  Yokeham's,  five  miles  farther  down  the  river,  also  called  Van  Valken- 
burg's. 

August  11,  Ogden'8  Farm,  distance,  fourteen  miles. 

August  12,  Unadilla,  distance,  seventeen  miles. 

August  13,  Conihunto,  distance,  fourteen  miles. 

August  14, 15  and  16,  Ouoquaga, distance  eight  miles.in  the  present  town  of  Colesville, 
Broome  County,  N.  T.  While  here,  on  the  16th,  General  Clinton,  sent  the  Fourth  Penn- 
sylvania Regiment,  under  command  of  Major  Church,  t:>  meet  Colonel  Pawling  who 
was  expected  to  meet  the  detachment  at  this  point  with  four  hundred  militia.  After 
marching  five  or  six  miles,  the  detachment  returned  witnout  discovering  Colonel  Pawl 

ing. 

August  17,  Ingaren,  twelve  miles  by  land  and  twenty  miles  by  water;  near  Great 
Bend,Susquehanna  County,  Pa. 

August  18— "Two  miles  below  the  Chenango  river,''  distance  about  sixteen  miles.Ma- 
jor  Parr  with  one  hundred  men,  went  four  miles  up  Chenango  to  destroy  the  town 
there,  but  found  it  burned.  Sergeants  Gaylord  and  Chapman  sent  forward  by  General 
Poor,  arrived  this  evening  in  Clinton's  camp  and  informed  him  of  the  approach  of 
Poor. 

August  19,  Owego,  near  the  present  village  of  the  same  name,  distance,  twenty-two 
miles.  At  the  present  town  of  Union,1  'Chugnutt,"  the  division  united  with  that  of  Gen- 
eral Poor. 

Augu«t21,  Mauckatawangum,  opposite  Fitzgerald's Fai m,  present  Farton. 

August  22,  arrived  at  Tioga,  at  eleven  o'clock  A.  M. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  117 

Regiment  was  transferred  from  Clinton's  to  Poor's  and 
Cortlandt's  from  Poor's  to  Clinton's  Brigade.  The  rifle- 
men, commanded  by  Major  James  Parr,  were  formed 
into  an  advance  guard;  and  a  pioneer  corps  was  or- 
ganized under  Captains  Selin  and  Ballard.  The  Ger- 
man Battalion  was  reorganized  into  four  companies 
of  twenty-five  men  each;  two  of  these  companies 
with  two  hundred  picked  men  in  addition,  formed  the 
right  flanking  division  commanded  by  Colonel  Dubois  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Regnier,  the  whole  under  the  direc- 
tion of  General  Poor.  An  equal  number  under  the 
direction  of  General  Maxwell  and  commanded  by  Colo- 
nel Ogden  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Willett  formed  the  left 
flanking  division.  The  flour  and  ammunition  were  packed 
in  canvas  sacks  made  of  tents;  commissary  and  hospital 
stores  were  placed  in  kegs,  the  two  six-pounders  were 
left  with  the  garrison,  and  the  rest  of  the  artillery  was 
taken  with  the  army.  In  the  order  of  march,  General 
Hand's  Brigade  was  in  advance,  General  Poor  on  the 
right,  General  Maxwell  on  the  left  and  General  Clinton 
in  the  rear.  The  artillery  preceded  by  the  pioneers,  and 
followed  by  the  pack-horses  and  beef  cattle  was  in  the 
center.  All  cumbrous  and  unnecessary  baggage  was  or- 
dered to  be  stored  with  Ihe  garrison  at  Tioga,  which  was 
to  consist  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  besides  the  in- 
valids, under  the  command  of  Colonel  Israel  Shreeve. 

On  the  twenty-sixth  of  August,  the  army  took  up  the 
line  of  its  march  to  an  unknown  country,  through  leagues 
of  unbroken  forests,  into  the  very  heart  of  the  enemy's 
territory,  relying  on  their  own  valor  alone  for  success, 
without  hope  of  relief  or  of  reinforcements,  or,  in  case 
of  defeat,  of  any  quarter.  It  was  an  expedition  in  which 
not  only  peculiar  hardships  might  be  expected,  but  it 
was  one  without  scarcely  a  parallel  in  the  world' s  history 
for  the  boldness  of  its  design,  and  the  courage  with 
which  it  was  undertaken.  To  transport  an  army  with 


118  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

its  equipments  and  supplies,  through  an  uncivilized 
country, without  roads, for  much  of  the  way  without  water 
communication  ;  to  cut  loose  from  their  base  of  supplies 
and  communications;  to  be  shut  up  for  weeks  from  the 
intelligence  of  the  worid,  where  to  fall  was  to  die,  and 
ordinarily  to  die  by  torture,  was  an  example  of  heroic 
bravery  which  the  world  has  seldom  witnessed.  Sher- 
man's march  to  the  sea  has  received  and  justly  merits  the 
applause  of  men  for  its  daring  and  its  success  ;  but  this 
expedition  was  far  more  daring,  and  if  the  loss  of  life 
and  the  ends  secured  by  it,  be  taken  into  the  account, 
equally  as  successful  in  its  execution,  and  deserves  first 
.rank  among  the  great  military  movements  in  our  country's 
history. 

It  was  known  that  the  enemy  were  assembled  in  force 
somewhere  on  the  Chemung  river,  where  it  was  thought 
they  would  dispute  the  passage  of  our  army.  A  few 
boats,  carrying  supplies  and  baggage,  were  to  accompany 
the  army  until  it  met  the  enemy  and  then  return. 

The  army  reached  the  site  of  Old  Chemung  on  the  eve- 
ning of  the  27th.  Between  this  point  and  the  town,  three 
miles  above,  the  path  led  over  a  very  high  hill,  which 
comes  sharply  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  was  found 
to  be  so  serious  an  obstruction,  that  the  artillery, baggage, 
ammunition  wagons,  packhorses  and  Maxwell's  Brigade 
forded  the  river  twice  to  avoid  it.  The  current 
was  swift  and  the  water  deep,  and  the  crossing  attended 
with  considerable  difficulty,  and  some  of  the  loading  was 
lost.  The  other  troops  passed  over  the  mountain, and  at 
night  the  army  encamped  near  the  site  of  the  town  de- 
stroyed on  the  13th, 

During  the  evening  a  scout  came  in  with  the  informa- 
tion that  the  enemy  were  busily  at  work  on  a  fortification 
a  few  miles  above.  The  advanced  guard  could  easily  hear 
the  sound  of  their  axes,  and  see  the  light  of  their  fires 
beyond  the  hills. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  119 

Early  on  Sunday,  the  29th  of  August,  the  army  moved 
with  great  circumspection.  General  Hand  marched  at 
eight  o'clock,  and  before  nine,  all  the  troops  were  in  mo- 
tion. They  had  gone  scarcely  two  miles  before  the  ad- 
vanced guard  began  to  discover  Indian  scouts  or  spies, 
one  hundred  and  fifty  or  two  hundred  yards  in  front,  who, 
upon  being  observed,  ran  off  at  full  speed.  A  small 
force  was  also  seen  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river, 
which  kept  nearly  abreast  of  General  Hand's  troops. 
About  four  miles  from  the  encampment  at  Chemung,  the 
fortifications  of  the  enemy  were  discovered. 

Consulting  the  map  of  the  State  of  New  York,  it  will 
be  seen  that  nearly  opposite  the  present  village  of  Wells- 
burg,  the  Chemung  (old  Tioga)  river  runs  first  in  a  south- 
er! 3-  direction,  then  sweeping  around  to  the  north-east, it 
forms  nearly  a  semi-circle,  of  which  the  road  leading  to 
Elmira  is  the  diameter.  The  road  to  Wellsburg  divides 
this  space  into  two  nearly  equal  areas  or  quadrants.  Com- 
ing down  between  the  hills  from  the  north  is  Baldwin's 
Creek,  which,  a  little  south  of  the  main  road,  turns  sharply 
to  the  east,  and  reaches  the  river  some  distance  below. 
Beginning  near  the  river,  and  nearly  opposite  to  what 
was  formerly  the  lower  point  of  Baldwin's  Island,  now, 
owing  to  a  change  in  the  main  current  of  the  stream,  near 
the  middle  of  it,  begins  a  ridge  of  land,  running  in  a 
south-easterly  direction  for  about  three  thousand  five 
hundred  feet,  and  crossing  the  Wellsburg  road,  when  it 
turns  nearly  at  right  angles,  and  extends  in  almost  a  di- 
rect northerly  course  about  one  thousand  two  hundred 
feet  further,  until  it  reaches  the  creek.  The  side  of  this 
ridge  toward  the  streams  was  steeper  and  higher  than  it 
now  is,it  having  been  measurably  levelled  down  by  ninety 
years  of  cultivation.  Between  this  ridge  and  the  hill  on 
the  north  on  which  the  monument  stands, now  called  Sul- 
livan Hill,  is  a  hollow,  along  which  the  Elmira  road  is 
laid,  and  which  a  mile  to  the  west  of  the  creek  expands 


120  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

into  a  wider  flat,  where  was  an  Indian  town  of  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  houses,  called  Newtown,  which  gave  the 
name  to  the  battlefield.  At  present  only  two  or  three  old 
apple  trees  indicate  its  site. 

A  mile  or  more  to  the  north  of  the  main  road,  Bald  win's 
creek  runs  between  two  high  ridges  parallel  with  the 
stream,  the  slope  of  the  western  one,  which  is  Sullivan 
Hill,  coming  sheer  down  to  the  water's  edge.  Where 
Jacob  Lowman's  sawmill  now  stands,  in  the  woods,  on 
both  sides  of  the  creek,  were  about  twenty  or  thirty 
houses,  which  had  never  been  inhabited,  and  were 
supposed  to  have  been  built  for  storing  the  crops  growing 
in  the  vicinity.  A  few  houses  near  the  bend  of  the  creek 
were  torn  down  by  the  enemy,  and  the  logs  used  in  their 
fortification.  One  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred 
acres  of  magnificent  corn  just  ripening  for  the  sickle  were 
on  the  flats  near  the  river.  The  Indian  path  from  Che- 
mung,  probably,  was  nearer  the  creek  than  the  present 
road  ;  after  the  creek  was  crossed,  the  path  turned  to  the 
right, until  it  reached  the  Elmira  road,  when  it  took  about 
the  direction  of  the  highway  to  Newtown.  The  slope  of 
Sullivan  Hill  was  covered  with  pine  and  dense  growth  of 
shrub-oaks. 

Along  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  or  "Hogback,"'  from  the 
river  to  the  creek,  the  enemy  had  erected  a  fortification 
in  most  places  breast  high  or  more,  in  others  lower,  but 
pits  or  holes  were  dug,  in  which  the  defenders  could  be 
protected.  The  work  was  very  artfully  masked  by  the 
slope  of  the  ridge  being  thickly  set  with  the  shrub  oaks 
cut  the  night  before  from  the  hillside.  A  little  in  front 
of  the  line  of  fortification  were  one  or  two  log  houses 
which  served  as  bastions  for  the  work. 

The  enemy  had  concentrated  their  main  force  at  the 
angle  in  the  fortified  line.  From  this  point  a  thin  line  was 
continued  on  one  side  to  the  river,  and  on  the  other  to 
the  creek.  On  the  crest  of  the  ridge  just  above  the  saw- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  121 

mill  before  spoken  of,  a  considerable  force  was  stationed 
to  repel  any  flank  movement  which  might  be  attempted 
and  was  connected  with  the  main  force  by  a  scattering 
line.  On  the  very  summit  of  the  hill,  where  the  monu- 
ment stands,  was  placed  a  corps  for  observation,  as  also 
one  on  the  opposite  hill,  on  the  east  side  of  the  creek. 

The  plan  of  the  enemy  seems  to  have  been  this: — Pre- 
suming their  fortification  to  be  perfectly  concealed,  and 
that  the  army  would  follow  the  Indian  trail,  as  it  turned 
to  the  right  alter  crossing  the  creek,  a  sudden  and  severe 
fire  opened  on  its  exposed  flank  would  create  confusion 
ip  the  ranks,  and  in  the  surprise  of  the  unexpected  at- 
tack, the  party  on  the  eastern  hill,  and  that  over  the 
river  having  fallen  back  and  crossed  over,  would  fall  on 
the  rear  of  the  army,  increase  the  consternation,  stampede 
the  cattle  and  pacK-horses,  and,  if  they  did  not  destroy  it, 
would  so  cripple  its  resources  as  to  prevent  its  further 
progress.  For  the  purpose  of  the  enemy  the  place  was 
admirably  adapted.  In  addition  to  occupying  a  position 
naturally  strong,  they  had  the  inside  line,and  could-con- 
centrate  their  forces  in  much  shorter  space  than  their 
opponents. 

The  force  behind  the  ramparts  consisted  of  a  few  regu- 
lar British  soldiers,  the  two  Battalions  of  Royal  Greens, 
Tories  and  Indians.  The  whites  were  commanded  by 
Colonel  John  Butler,  with  his  son,  Captain  Walter  N. 
Butler,  and  Captain  MacDonald,  and  the  Indians  by  the 
great  Mohawk  warrior,  Joseph  Brant.  Other  celebrated 
Indian  Chiefs,  but  of  less  note,  were  also  present. 

The  advanced  guard  having  discovered  the  enemy's 
position  about  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.  General  Hand  ordered 
the  riflemen  to  form  at  about  three  hundred  yards 
from  the  enemy,and  hold  their  position  until  the  remain- 
ing part  of  the  brigade  should  come  up  or  until  further 
orders.  This  was  scarcely  done,  when  about  four  hun- 
dred of  the  enemy  made  a  sortie,  delivered  their  fire,  and 


122  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

quickly  retreated  to  their  works.  This  was  a  number  of 
times  repeated,  with  the  manifest  intention  of  drawing 
our  men  into  their  lines.  The  scheme  which  had  too  oft- 
en been  successful  in  alluring  the  militia  into  ambush, 
failed  with  the  disciplined  troops  of  this  army,  and,  at 
length,  the  enemy  sullenly  retired  behind  his  entrench- 
ments to  await  the  issue  of  the  attack. 

In  the  meanwhile,  General  Hand  advanced  his  brigade 
in  line  of  battle  to  support  the  riflemen,  and  informed 
Sullivan  of  his  discovery  and  the  disposition  he  had  made 
of  his  brigade. 

The  commander  at  once  summoned  a  council  of  his  gen- 
eral officers,  who,  after  thoroughly  reconnoitering  the 
ground,  agreed  upon  the  plan  of  attack. 

It  was  three  hours  from  the  time  the  enemy  was  dis- 
covered, before  the  ground  was  reconnoitered,  the  plan  of 
attack  matured,  and  the  troops  came  up.  It  was  deter- 
mined that  the  artillery  should  be  stationed  on  a  slight 
rise  of  ground  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  angle 
of  the  eneni3^'s  fortified  position  in  such  a  way  as  to  en- 
filade his  lines  and  command  the  space  behind  them;  Gen- 
eral  Hand  to  advance  a  portion  of  his  light  troops  near 
the  breast  work,  and  divert  the  enemy's  attention  from 
the  movements  on  the  flank;  and  the  rest  to  support  the 
artillery;  the  left  flanking  division  to  push  up  the  river 
as  far  as  prudent,  in  order  to  gain  the  enemy's  flank, cut 
off  his  retreat  in  that  direction,  and  join  in  the  pursuit 
when  he  left  the  works  ;  General  Poor  with  his  brigade, 
the  Riflemen,  and  the  right  flanking  division,  supported 
by  Clinton's  brigade,  to  march  by  a  circuitous  route,and 
gain  the  mountain  (Sullivan  Hill)  on  the  enemy's  left; 
Maxwell's  Brigade  to  remain  a  corps  de  reserve,  to  act 
as  occasion  might  demand. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock,  p.  M.,when  at  a  point  a  lit- 
tle more  than  a  mile  to  the  eastward  of  where  the  path 
crossed  Baldwin's  Creek.  k'marching  by  columns  from 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  123 

the  right  of  regiments  by  files,"  followed  by  Clinton, 
who  was  ordered  to  march  to  the  rear  and  the  right 
of  him,  Poor  struck  off  to  the  right  from  the  path,  his 
movement  being  concealed  from  the  enemy  by  a  consid- 
erable hill,  which  also  hid  a  swamp  that  was  directly  in 
his  path.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  before  he  found  him- 
self floundering  in  this  morass,  which  was  so  thickly 
grown  up  with  alders  and  bushes  that  his  men  could  only 
with  great  difficulty  make  their  way  through  them.  An 
hour  had  been  allowed  as  sufficient  time  for  Poor5  s  troops 
to  be  in  position  to  turn  the  enemy's  left,  at  which  time 
the  attack  should  be  made  in  force  on  the  front, the  artil- 
lery fire  being  the  signal  for  a  simultaneous  attack  on 
both  front  and  flank.  The  advance  of  Poor' s  Brigade, 
had,  however,  just  reached  the  creek  where  the  group  of 
houses  stood  near  the  sawmill,  when  Sullivan,  ignorant 
of  Poor's  delay,  ordered  the  artillery  to  open  fire, and  the 
light  infantry  to  advance.  They  pushed  forward  and 
formed  in  line  under  the  bank  of  the  creek,  which  afford- 
ed a  secure  protection  within  one  hundred  and  twenty 
yards  of  the  enemy's  line.  Proctor,  whose  battery, it  will 
be  remembered,  consisted  now  of  six  three-pounders,  the 
light  cohorn,  and  two  howitzers,  carrying  5^  inch  shells, 
opened  with  a  sharp,  severe  fire  of  shell  and  solid  shot. 
Such  a  scene  this  valley  never  before  witnessed  and  to 
such  music  never  before  did  these  hills  send  back  their 
answering  echoes. 

To  endure  a  protracted  cannonade  is  one  of  the  severest 
tests  of  the  discipline  and  fortitude  of  experienced 
troops,  while  to  the  Indian  the  roar  of  cannon  is  as  terri- 
fying as  though  it  were  the  harbinger  of  the  day  of  doom; 
yet  such  was  the  commanding  presence  of  the  great  In- 
dian Captain  and  such  the  degree  of  confidence  he  in- 
spired, that  his  undisciplined  warriors  stood  their  ground 
like  veterans  for  more  than  half  an  hour,  as  the  shot 
went  crashing  through  the  tree-tops  or  plowing  up  the 


124  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

earth  under  their  feet,  and  shells  went  screeching  over 
their  heads,  or  bursting  in  their  ranks,  while  high  above 
the  roar  of  the  artillery  and  the  rattle  of  small  arms, 
could  be  heard  the  voice  of  Brant,  encouraging  his  men 
for  the  conflict,  and  over  the  heads  of  all,  his  crested 
plume  could  be  seen  waving  where  the  contest  was  likely 
to  be  most  sharp.  At  length, from  the  party  on  the  moun- 
tain top,  whose  keen  eyes  had  discovered  the  advance  of 
Poor's  Brigade  by  the  gleaming  of  their  arms  in  the  sun- 
light, word  came  of  the  threatened  attack  on  the  flank. 
With  a  chosen  band  of  his  warriors,  Brant  hastened 
to  repel  this  new  danger,  leaving  a  few  of  his  Indians, 
with  the  troops  under  Butler,  to  hold  the  ground  in  front. 

Emerging  from  the  swamp,  Poor  bore  off  considerably 
to  the  left,  Clinton  following  with  his  left  exactly  in  the 
rear  of  Poor' s  right,  and  his  right  as  he  turned  toward  the 
creek,  sweeping  over  the  lower  part  of  the  hill  on  the  east 
side  of  the  creek,  uncovered  the  party  of  the  enemy  sta- 
tioned there  and  compelled  their  precipitate  retreat. 

On  reaching  Baldwin' s  creek,  Poor  drew  up  his  brigade 
in  line  of  battle— Lieutenant  Colonel  Reid's  2d  JNew 
Hampshire  Regiment  on  the  left,  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Dearborn's  SdiNew  Hampshire  next,  then  Alden's,  the 
•6th  Massachusetts,  and  Colonel  Cilley's,  the  1st  I^ew 
Hampshire,  on  the  right ;  and  on  the  right  flank  of  the 
brigade  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  picked  men  under 
Colonel  Dubois,  while  the  riflemen  were  deployed  in  front 
of  the  line  as  skirmishers. 

By  this  time  the  advance  of  Clinton,  who  was  to  sup- 
port Poor,  began  to  arrive,  and  his  brigade  was  placed  in 
order  of  battle  with  Gansevoort's  Regiment,  the  .3d  New 
York,  on  the  left,  Dubois,  the  5th  IN  ew  York,  next,  then 
Livingston's,  which  was  the  4th  New  York,  and  Cort- 
landt's,  the  2d  New  York,  on  the  right. 

Having  formed  the  line  of  battle,  Poor  advanced  his 
brigade  with  as  much  rapidity  as  the  nature  of  the  ground 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  125 

and  the  heat  of  the  day  would  admit.  No  sooner  had  he 
crossed  the  creek  than  he  was  met  by  a  sharp  but  some- 
what random  fire  from  the  enemy  stationed  along  the 
slope  toward  the  creek,  and  protected  by  the  trees  which 
thickly  studded  the  hill  side.  The  riflemen  returned  the 
fire,  but  the  brigade  pressed  rapidly  forward,  without 
firing  a  shot,  and  with  fixed  bayonets,  steadily  driving 
the  enemy  before  them,  who,  as  our  men  advanced,  re- 
treated, darting  for  cover  from  tree  to  tree  with  the  agility 
of  panthers. 

When  about  two-thirds  of  the  distance  up  the  hill,  the 
left  part  of  the  brigade  was  met  by  the  party  of  the  en- 
emy from  the  breastwork,  led  by  Brant  in  person.  They, 
falling  like  a  thunder  bolt  upon  Colonel  Reid' s  Regiment, 
which  was  the  left  wing  of  the  brigade  and  nearest  the  foe, 
checked  his  advance, and  before  he  had  time  to  recover 
from  the  shock,  his  men  being  out  of  breath  from  their  run 
up  the  hill,  he  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  an  Indian  force 
outnumbering  his  own,  three  to  one,  who  were  swarming 
in  a  semi- circle  about  his  regiment,  threatening  to  cut  it 
off  from  the  support  of  the  rest  of  the  brigade,  and  leav- 
ing him  the  alternative  either  to  fall  back  on  Clinton  for 
support  or  to  force  his  way  through  at  the  point  of  the 
bayonet.  General  Poor  being  with  the  right  wing  of  the 
brigade,  urging  forward  his  men  that  he  might  cut  off  the 
retreat  of  the  Indians  toward  jSJ  ewtown,  was  not  aware  of 
the  serious  danger  which  threatened  Reid,  but  Colonel 
Dearborn,  whose  regiment  was  on  Reid's  right,  im- 
mediately and  on  his  own  responsibility  ordered  his  regi- 
ment to  change  or  reverse  front,  by  a  right  about  face, 
and  just  as  Reid  had  given  orders  to  charge,  Dearborn' s 
Regiment  poured  in  a  volley  upon  Brant' s  force  which 
first  staggered  them,  and  then  a  second  volley,  when  they 
beat  a  hasty  retreat. 

About  the  same  time  Clinton  perceiving  the  critical 
condition  of  Reid,  pushed  forward  Gansevoorfs  and 


126  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Dubois'  regiments  for  his  support,  who  reached  him  just 
in  time  to  hasten  the  flight  of  the  enemy.  Brant  observ- 
ing the  movement  toward  his  rear  and  understanding  its 
meaning,  sounded  the  retreat,  and  the  enemy  fled  from 
all  parts  of  the  field  towards  Newtown  and  the  ford  of  the 
Chemung,  pursued  by  Hand  and  the  riflemen.  The  two 
Regiments  on  the  right  of  Poor's  Brigade  and  the  flank- 
ing division  of  Dubois,  reached  the  river  above  JS  ewtown, 
at  a  point  where  the  old  Fountain  Inn,  now  owned  by 
Willard  Harrington,  stands  ;  but  this  force  was  not  suffi- 
cient successfully  to  resist  the  demoralized  mass  of  the 
enemy,  whose  only  means  of  escape  led  in  this  direction  ; 
and  which  being  thus  intercepted,  they  broke  through 
Poor's  line  with1  such  impetuosity,  as  for  a  time,  to  en- 
danger his  flank.  Some  shots  were  exchanged,  without 
serious  casualty  to  our  troops,  although  Sullivan  and 
others  say  the  enemy  did  not  so  escape.  At  the  same 
time  Colonel  John  Butler  himself  came  very  near  being 
taken  prisoner. 

Clinton  with  his  two  remaining  regiments  followed  in 
the  track  of  Poor,  burning  the  houses  which  lay  in  his 
path,  and  joined  the  other  troops  near  Newtown.  It  was 
now  about  6  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  seven  hours 
since  the  first  gun  was  fired,  when  three  rousing  cheers 
announced  that  the  battle  was  ended  and  Sullivan' s  gal- 
lant army  was  in  possession  of  the  contested  battle  field.* 

Our  men  fought  with  great  valor  and  determination. 
The  hoiTOrs  of  Wyoming,  of  Cherry  Valley,  of  the  West 
Branch,  of  Minisink  and  German  Flats,  were  fresh  in 
their  recollections,  and  many  of  the  soldiers  had  lost 
some  of  their  nearest  relatives  in  these  strifes,  where  sav- 
age hordes  and  tory  outlaws  held  high  carnival.  There 
is  a  tradition,  that  as  Poor's  men  began  the  charge  up  the 
hill,  some  one  said  :  "Remember  Wyoming,"  which  was 


*The  centennial  anniversary  of  this  battle  was  commemorated  on  the  battle  field 
August  29, 1879. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  127 

taken  up  along  the  line  as  the  watchword  and  battle-cry 
of  the  hour ;  but  there  is  not  a  lisp  in  confirmation  of 
this,  in  any  of  the  numerous  journals  which  have  been 
preserved  to  us. 

The  exact  numbers  engaged  on  either  side  cannot  be 
ascertained.  Sullivan  and  his  officers,  after  going  over 
the  whole  field,  examining  the  line  occupied  by  the  enemy, 
and  comparing  the  accounts  and  estimates  of  those  in 
best  position  to  know,  put  their  strength  at  one  thousand 
five  hundred  men,  while  the  two  men  who  were  captured 
on  the  evening  of  the  battle  gave  the  number  as  low  as 
seven  hundred  or  eight  hundred.  Somewhere  between 
these  extremes  is,  doubtless,  the  truth.  * 

The  loss  in  Sullivan' s  army  was  three  killed  on  the  field, 
viz:  Corporal  Hunter  and  two  privates  ;  the  wounded  were 
Benjamin  Titcomb,  of  Dover,  Major  in  the  2d  New  Hamp- 


*There  were  35  British  regulars,  both  companie?  of  the  Royal  Greens,  and  the  Tory 
militia,  all  told  from  200  to  250  white  men.  Besides  these,  there  were  all  the  Indian  war. 
riors  of  the  Seneca  s,  Cayugas,  Mohawks  and  part  of  the  Onondagas.Oneidas  andTus- 
caroras,  and  some  of  the  northern  tribes.  Sullivan  says  "the  warriors  of  the  Seven  Xa- 
tions,"  at  least  1  000  men,  making  the  entire  force  of  the  enemy  not  far  from  1,200. 

At  Catherine's  Town,  about  300  Indians  from  Canada  joined  Brant,  and  a  couple  of 
days  after,  at  Kendaia,  he  reported  that  he  had  over  1,00)  Indian  warriors  in  his  army  • 
Deducting  the  losses  at  Xewtown,  and  from  desertion,  which  is  always  large  after  a 
disastrous  battle.and  his  force  at  Kendaia  could  not  have  been  much.if  any.greatcr  than 
at  Newtown. 

The  numbers  in  General  Sullivan's  command  are  equally  uncertain  At  Wyoming, 
his  force  was  said  to  be  3,500  men,  and  the  number  which  came  with  Clinton  to  have 
been  about  1,500  or  1,600  more,  making  a  total  of  5,000  in  the  grand  army.  But 
this  is  evidentlv  much  too  large.  To  begin  with,  Pennsylvania  failed  to  furnish  the  750 
men  required  to  fill  up  her  quota, leaving  not  more  than  2,750  men  in  actual  service ;  and 
this  must  be  somewhat  diminished.  July  22,  nine  days  before  the  army  marched  from 
Wyoming,  but  after  the  arrival  of  all  his  troops,  the  returns  comprise  3  Brigadiers,  7 
Colonels,  6  Lieutenant-Colonels,  8  Majors,  48  Captains,  3  Chaplains,  10  Surgeons,  11 
Drum  and  Fife  Majors,  131  Drummers  and  Fifers,  2,312  rank  and  file,  or  a  total  of  2,539 
men  of  all  grades  and  ranks. — Clinton's  Brigade  consisted  of  five  regiments  and  six 
companies  of  riflemen.  The  4th  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  which  was  one  of  the  num- 
ber, by  a  return  dated  June  18,  1779,  numbered  of  all  grades  248  men.  Taking  this  as 
the  standard  and  the  five  regiments  would  have  about  1,250.  Of  the  riflemen,  Major 
James  Parr's  company  contained  when  enlisted  in  1776,  48  men,  in  1779,  could  not  have 
mustered  more  than  half  that  number,  or  the  six  companies  in  the  Brigade  about  150 
men.  These  figures  cannot  be  far  from  correct.and  matte  the  sum  total  of  the  army  a 
trifle  less  than  4,000  men  of  all  ranks.  From  these  deduct  5  per  cent,  for  sick  and  ab- 
sent, the  100  left  at  Wyoming,  300  left  at  Fort  Sullivan,  250  pack-horse  drivers,  and  Sul- 
livan's effective  force  could  not  have  exceeded  3,100  .or  3,200  men. 


128  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

shire,  through  the  abdomen  and  arms  ;  Elijah  Clays,  Cap- 
tain of  the  7th  Company  of  the  2d  New  Hampshire  through 
the  body  ;  Nathaniel  McCauley,  of  Litchfield,  1st  Lieu- 
tenant of  the  4th  Company  of  the  1st  New  Hampshire  ; 
Sergeant  Lane,  wounded  in  two  places,  Sergeant  Oliver 
Thurston,and  thirty-one  rank  and  tile,  all  but  four  of  whom 
were  of  Poor's  brigade  and  nearly  all  from  Reid's  regi- 
ment. Lieutenant  McCauley  had  hjs  knee  shattered,  mak- 
ing amputation  necessary,  and  died  before  morning,  and 
Abner  Dearborn  died  a  few  days  after  he  was  removed  to 
Tioga.  Sergeant  Demeret,  Joshua  Mitchell  and  Sylvester 
Wilkins  died  previous  to  September  19th,  making  a  total 
of  eight. 

Those  who  died  upon  the  field  were  buried  separately, 
near  where  they  fell,  and  fires  were  built  upon  their  graves 
to  conceal  them  from  the  enemy,  lest  after  the  departure 
of  the  army  their  bodies  should  be  desecrated  ;  a  practice 
shamefully  prevalent  on  both  sides  in  Indian  warfare.  It 
seems  strange  that  in  a  contest  waged  between  such  num- 
bers and  for  so  long  a  time,  the  casualties  should  have 
been  so  few.  But  our  men  were  wTell  protected  by  the  bank 
of  the  creek  on  the  front,  and  the  Indians  probably  shot 
over  the  heads  of  those  coming  up  the  hill. 

Twelve  of  the  enemy  were  found  slain  on  the  ground, 
and  two  prisoners  were  taken, — one  a  negro,  the  other 
"one  Hoghtailer  from  the  Helder  Barrack."  A  British 
account  says:  "In  this  action  Colonel  Butler  and  all 
his  people  were  surrounded,  and  very  near  being  taken 
prisoners.  The  Colonel  lost  four  rangers  killed,  two  taken 
prisoners  and  seven  wounded.  The  Indian  account  found 
four  days  afterward,  near  Catherine' s  town  is  as  follows:— 
"September  3d.— This  day  found  a  tree  marked  1779, 
Thandagana,  the  English  of  which  is  Brant ;  twelve  men 
marked  on  it  with  arrows  pierced  through  them,  signify- 
ing the  number  they  had  lost  in  the  action  of  the  29th 
ultimo.  A  small  tree  was  twisted  round  like  a  rope  and 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  129 

bent  down  which  signified  that  if  we  drove  and  distressed 
them,  yet  we  would  not  conquer  them." 

Disheartened,  terror-stricken,  and  hopeless  of  further 
resistance,  the  enemy  fled  with  all  possible  speed,  not 
daring  even  to  look  behind  them  ;  and  such  was  the  moral 
effect  of  the  victory,  that  without  thought  for  else  but 
their  lives,  they  abandoned  their  villages  to  the  torch  and 
their  cornfields  to  the  destruction  of  the  victorious  foe.* 

The  day  after  the  battle  was  spent  in  destroying  the 
crops  in  the  neighborhood,  sending  the  wounded,  four 
heavy  guns,  ammunition  wagons,  etc.,  back  to  Tioga; 
and  while  here,  owing  to  the  prospective  scarcity  of  beef 
and  flour,  and  the  abundance  of  corn,  beans,  potatoes, 
squashes,  etc.,  the  army  agreed  without  a  dissent  to  sub- 
sist on  half  rations  of  the  former  articles. 

On  the  31st  of  August  the  army  again  started  westward, 
to  complete  the  work  for  which  the  expedition  had  been 
organized. 

About  two  miles  above  Newtown  a  little  village  of  eight 
good  houses  was  found,  which  was  burned,  and  the  army 
passed  on  to  Kanawaholla,  a  pleasant  town  situated  on 
the  point, at  the  junction  of  present  Newtown  Creek  with 
the  Chemung,  near  the  city  of  Elmira,  and  four  and  a 
half  miles  above  the  battle  ground.  Here,  as  at  Chemung 
and  JS  ewtown,  the  corn-fields  bore  marks  of  having  been 
planted  under  the  supervision  of  white  people,  whom  it 
is  well  known  were  directed  by  the  British  government 
to  aid  the  Indians  in  raising  supplies  for  the  British  army 
and  garrisons. 

From  this  point,  Colonel  Dayton,  with  the  Third  New 
Jersey  Regiment  and  a  detachment  of  the  Riflemen,  was 
sent  up  the  river  in  pursuit  of  some  of  the  enemy  whom 


*"After  the  battle  of  Newtown  terror  led  the  van  of  the  invader.whose  approach  was 
heralded  by  watchmen  stationed  upon  every  heij?ht,and  desolation  followed  weeping  in 
his  train.  The  Indians  everywhere  fled  as  Sullivan  advanced,  and  the  whole  country 
was  swept  as  with  the  besom  of  destruction." — Stone's  Life  of  Brant. 


130  "SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL. 

the  advanced  guard  saw  escaping  in  their  canoes.  He 
chased  them  for  eight  miles  up  the  river,  but  their  speed 
was  too  great,  and  the  nimble-footed  savages  escaped.  At 
this  point  Colonel  Dayton  found  an  Indian  village  which 
was  near  present  Big  Flats,  where  he  encamped  for  the 
night.  The  next  morning  he  burned  the  village,  destroyed 
about  thirty  acres  of  corn  and  a  quantity  of  hay,  and  re- 
joined the  main  army  just  as  it  was  leaving  its  encamp- 
ment. 

From  Kanawaholla  the  path  turned  northward  ;  the 
army  marched  about  five  miles  farther  and  encamped  for 
the  night,  near  the  present  village  of  Horseheads.  The 
next  morning  tents  were  struck  at  eight  o'  clock,  and  for 
three  miles  the  path  lay  through  an  open  plain,  then  they 
entered  the  low  ground  which  forms  the  divide  of  the 
waters  flowing  into  the  Susquehanna  and  into  the  St. 
Lawrence,  at  that  time  a  deep,  miry  swamp,  covered  with 
water  from  the  recent  rains,  dark  with  the  closely  shad- 
owing hemlocks,  the  path  studded  with  rocks  and  thickly 
interspersed  with  sloughs;  it  was  the  most  horrible  spot 
they  had  met  with.  It  was  past  seven  o'clock,  just  in 
the  dusk  of  the  evening,  when  the  advanced  guard  emerged 
from  the  gloomy  shadows  of  the  morass  and  formed 
themselves  in  line  just  on  the  outskirts  of  the  village 
Sheaquaga.  or  French  Catherine's  Town.* 

It  was  pitch-dark  before  Hand' s  brigade  got  out  of  the 
wilderness.  To  the  rest  of  the  army  it  was  a  night  of 
horrors.  It  was  so  dark  the  men  could  not  see  the  path, 
and  could  keep  it  only  by  grasping  the  frocks  of  their 

*As  before  said.Catharine  was  sister  of  Queen  Esther.and  grand-daughter  of  Madame 
Montour,  whose  romantic  history  covered  the  first  half  of  the  18th  century.  In  1749 
she  was  very  aged  and  blind,  and  probably  died  prior  to  1752.  The  husband  of  Cather- 
ine and  the  reputed  father  of  her  children  was  Edward  Pollard,  an  Indian  trader,  and 
a  sutler  at  Niagara,  who  was  also  the  father  of  the  famous  Seneca  warrior,  Captain 
Pollard.  Catherine  had  two  sons,  Rowland  and  John,  and  one  daughter,  Belle.  The 
sons  were  actively  engaged  during  the  RevDlution.  were  both  at  Wyoming  in  1778,  and 
at  Newtown  in  1779,  where  John  was  wounded  ir.  the  back.  Rowland's  wife  was  the 
daughter  of  the  chief  Sachem  of  the  Senecas.  After  the  campaign  of  1779,  they  were 
a'l  settled  near  Niagara. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  131 

file  leaders.  Poor's  and  Maxwell's  Brigades  did  not 
reach  the  town  until  ten  o'clock.  Many  of  the  soldiers, 
utterly  worn  out  with  heat  and  fatigue, fell  exhausted  by 
the  wayside,  and  did  not  join  the  army  until  the  next 
day.  Clinton's  Brigade  spent  the  night  in  the  swamp, 
without  supper  or  shelter.  Two  of  the  pack-horses  fell 
and  broke  their  necks,  others  became  exhausted  and  died 
in  the  path,  while  the  stores  of  food  and  ammunition 
were  sadly  depleted.  The  town  was  built  on  both  sides 
of  the  inlet  to  Seneca  Lake,  and  about  three  miles  from 
the  lake,  on  the  site  of  present  Havana.  It  consisted  of 
between  thirty  and  forty  good  houses,  some  fine  corn- 
fields and  orchards.  The  soldiers  found  a  number  of 
horses,  cows,  calves  and  hogs,  which  they  appropriated. 

All  of  Thursday  was  spent  in  resting,  bringing  up  the 
wearied  horses  and  exhausted  soldiers,  burning  the 
houses,  destroying  the  trees  and  corn,  and  scouring  the 
country  for  straggling  Indians.  A  very  old  squaw  was 
found  hidden  in  the  bushes.  She  was  accosted  by  one  of 
the  Indian  guides  in  various  dialects,  but  she  shook  her 
head  as  if  she  could  not  understand.  At  length  the 
General  becoming  convinced  that  her  ignorance  was  only 
assumed,  threatened  her  with  punishment  if  she  did  not 
answer.  She  replied  that  Butler  and  the  Indians  held  a 
council  here,  and  many  of  the  old  chiefs  and  women 
desired  peace,  but  Butler  told  them  Sullivan's  army  would 
kill  them  all  if  they  surrendered,  and  they  had  better  run 
off  into  the  woods  ;  that  Brant  received  a  reinforcement 
of  two  hundred  Indian  warriors,  who  were  eager  to  fight, 
but  those  who  had  been  in  the  Battle  of  Newtown  shook 
their  heads  and  would  not  agree  to  it.  She  further  said 
that  the  Indians  lost  very  heavily  in  killed  and  wounded, 
and  she  heard  many  women  lamenting  the  death  of  their 
relatives. 

On  Friday,  September  3d,  having  built  a  comfortable 
hut  for  the  old  squaw,  and  left  her  a  supply  of  provisions, 

9 


132  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

the  army  resumed  its  march  and  encamped  twelve  miles 
from  Sheaquaga,  the  route  most  of  the  way  being  through 
open  woods,  over  level  country,  and  the  journey  devoid 
of  special  incident.  The  place  of  the  encampment  was 
on  the  lakeside  where  there  were  a  few  houses  and  plenty 
of  corn,  and  near  what  has  since  been  called  Peach  Or- 
chard, where  it  is  said  the  early  settlers  found  conclusive 
evidences  of  Indian  occupation.  An  Indian  scout  left  one 
of  these  cornfields  just  as  our  men  came  up.  They  found 
corn  roasting  by  the  fire  and  the  supper  left  untasted. 

About  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning,  the  army  moved 
from  its  encampment,  and  after  proceeding  four  miles, 
came  to  what  is  known  as  North  Hector.  The  Indian 
town  was  called  Con-daw-haw,  and  consisted  of  one  long 
house,  built  according  to  Indian  custom  to  contain  several 
fires,  (but  in  utter  defiance  of  the  white  man's  proverb 
about  no  roof  being  large  enough  for  two  families,)  and 
several  smaller  houses.  Destroying  these  and  the  corn- 
fields, the  army  went  eight  miles  further  and  encamped. 

On  Sunday,  the  5th  of  September,  the  army  marched 
three  miles  and  encamped  at  an  Indian  town  called  Ken- 
daia,  or  Appletown,  pleasantly  situated,  a  half  a  mile 
from  the  lake,  consisting  of  twenty  or  more  houses  of 
hewn  logs,  covered  with  bark,  and  some  of  them  were 
well  painted.  Here  was  one  apple  orchard  of  sixty  trees, 
besides  others ;  also  peach  trees  and  other  fruits.  The 
houses  were  burned  for  firewood,  and  the  trees  were  cut 
down  or  girdled.  About  this  town,  the  showy  tombs 
erected  over  some  of  their  chiefs,  were  most  noticea- 
ble, one  of  which,  larger  and  more  conspicuous  than 
the  others,  is  described  by  one  of  the  journals  as  a  case- 
ment or  box  made  of  hewn  planks,  about  four  feet  high 
and  somewhat  larger  than  the  body  over  which  it  was 
placed,  and  which  was  appropriately  dressed.  This  case- 
ment was  painted  with  bright  colors,  and  had  open- 
ings through  which  the  body  could  be  seen,  and  was 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  133 

covered  with  a  roof  to  protect  it  from  the  weather.  Al- 
though this  was  evidently  an  old  town,  yet  there  was 
such  a  scarcity  of  pasturage,  that  during  the  night  twenty  - 
seven  of  the  cattle  strayed  off  and  were  not  found  until 
afternoon.  While  here,  Luke  Swetland,  who  had  been 
taken  from  Wyoming  the  year  before,  came  to  the  army 
—Mr.  Jenkins  says,  almost  overjoyed  to  see  his  old  friends 
again. 

On  the  6th,  the  army  encamped  three  miles  north  of 
Kendaia,  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  opposite  a  con- 
siderable Indian  town  on  the  other  side.  This  camping 
place  has  been  identified  by  General  Clark,  of  Auburn, 
£s .  Y. ,  as  near  the  ravine  called  on  the  old  maps  '  'Indian 
Hollow/1 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  army  again  struck 
tents,  and  after  marching  about  eight  miles,  came  to  the 
outlet  of  Seneca  Lake.  They  were  then  in  the  country 
properly  of  the  Senecas.  Passing  a  small  town  called 
Butler's  buildings,  at  the  foot  of  the  lake,  near  the 
present  canal  bridge,  five  miles  further  around  the  lower 
end  of  the  lake  brought  them  to  the  first  important  Sen- 
eca town,  of  about  fifty  houses  surrounded  by  orchards  and 
cornfields,  and  called  Kanadasaga,  occupying  nearly  the 
site  of  present  Geneva.  Here  the  army  rested  during 
Wednesday,  the  8th,  while  several  detachments  were 
sent  out  in  various  ways  to  explore  the  country,  discover 
and  destroy  the  neighboring  villages  and  cornfields.  Sul- 
livan was  now  in  a  strange  country.  He  had  not  a  single 
guide  who  knew  the  exact  locality  of  a  town  beyond  him, 
hence  he  was  compelled  to  rely  upon  his  own  scouts  for 
information. 

Among  the  companies  which  were  thus  sent  out,  was  a 
party  of  volunteers  under  Colonel  John  Harper,*  who,fol 


*John  Harper  was  born  in  Boston,  Mass.,  May  31, 1734.  In  1768  the  Colonial  Gov- 
ernment of  New  York  made  a  grant  to  him  and  twenty-one  others,  his  associates,  of 
22,000  acres  of  land  on  the  Delaware  River,  purchased  the  year  before  of  the  Indians, 


134  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL. 

lowing  down  the  Seneca  river  about  eight  miles,  came  to 
a  pleasantly  situated  town  consisting  of  eighteen  houses 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  called  Skoi-yase,  and  oc- 
cupying the  site  of  the  handsome  and  thriving  village  of 
Waterloo.  Near  this  town  were  some  fish  ponds,  the  re- 
mains of  which  were  found  by  the  early  settlers  without 
knowing  their  use — a  peculiar  enterprise  lor  an  Indian 
village,  and  one  which  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen 
elsewhere.  Here,  too,  were  fields  of  corn  whose  golden 
ears  were  waiting  the  sickle  of  the  harvester;  and  orch- 
ards whose  trees  were  bending  under  their  load  of  ripen- 
ing fruit.  The  scout  finding  the  village  abandoned  by  the 
Indians,  burned  the  houses,  and  hastened  to  return  to 
Kanadasaga. 

Skoi-yase,  though  not  the  capitol  of  the  Cayugas,  was 
one  of  their  important  towns,  and  the  probable  residence 
of  one  or  more  of  their  sachems.  Situated  upon  the 
western  frontier  of  their  particular  territory,  and  on  the 
great  trail  which  extended  east  and  west  through  the 
whole  length  of  the  Confederacy,  and  far  beyond,  it  was 
guarded  with  especial  care  and  watchfulness  by  the  na- 
tion. Its  destruction  was  only  the  forerunner  of  that  en- 
tire destruction  of  their  nation  which  they  had  every 
reason  to  expect  was  soon  to  follow.  It  may  be  added 
that  Norris  and  one  or  two  others  call  the  place  "  Large 
Falls, "and  FeUows  says  "Long  Falls." 

Having  totally  destroyed  Kanadasaga,  and  sent  back  to 
Tioga  under  an  escort  of  fifty  men,  the  sick  and  the  lame, 

and  which  was  called  Harpersfield,  in  honor  of  its  founder.  During  the  Revolution 
Colonel  Harper  distinguished  himself  in  the  border  wars  in  Montgomery,  Schoharie, 
Delaware,  Broome,  and  Otsego  Counties,  as  a  brave  soldier,  an  ardent  patriot.and  one 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  Indian  warfare.  He  is  frequently  mentioned  in  Campbell's 
Aunals  of  Tryon  County,  and  in  Stone's  Life  of  Brant.  At  one  time  he  was  in  com- 
mand of  a  regiment  raised  for  the  defense  of  the  frontiers,  with  the  rank  of  Colonel. 
He  was  connected  with  the  Sullivan  Expedition.probably  as  a  volunteer, without  a  dis- 
tinct command,  and  was  detailed  for  the  expedition  to  Skoi-yase  on  account  of  his 
knowledge  of  the  country  as  well  as  of  Indian  warfare.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
•eturned  to  Harpersfleld,  where  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  November  20, 
1811.  S'jme  of  his  descendants  are  still  living  in  Harpersfleld. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  135 

on  the  9 th  the  army  resumed  its  westward  march  through 
the  country  of  the  Senecas  towardjfche  Genesee  river. 

Kanadasaga  was  a  large  and  important  town,  consisting 
of  fifty  houses  with  thirty  more  in  the  immediate  vicinity; 
and  being  the  capitol  of  the  nation  was  frequently  called 
the  "Seneca  Castle."  Its  site  was  on  the  present  Castle 
road,  a  mile  and  a  half  west  from  Geneva.  The  town 
was  divided  by  Kanadasaga  or  Castle  Creek.  It  was  regu- 
larly laid  out,  enclosing  a  large  green  plot,  on  which,  dur- 
ing the  "old  French  War"  in  1756,  Sir  William  Johnson 
had  erected  a  stockade  fort,  the  remains  of  which  were 
plainly  visible  to  our  army,  and  spoken  of  in  a  number 
of  the  journals.  Orchards  of  apple,  peach  and  mulberry 
trees  surrounded  the  town.  Fine  gardens  with  onions, 
peavS,  beans,  squashes,  potatoes,  turnips,  cabbages,  cucumb- 
ers, water  melons,  carrots  and  parsnips,  abounded;  and 
large  cornfields  were  to  the  north  and  northeast  of  the 
town.  All  were  destroyed  on  the  8th  of  September.  Here 
was  found  a  little  white  boy,  about  three  years  of  age, 
who  had  been  stolen  by  the  Indians  from  the  frontiers. 
The  little  fellow  was  nearly  starved  when  our  men  found 
him.  No  clue  to  his  parentage  was  ever  obtained.  The 
officers  of  the  expedition  were  greatly  interested  in  the 
little  waif  and  tenderly  cared  /or  him,  bat  he  died  a  few 
months  after  the  return  of  the  expedition. 

Here  was  the  residence  of  Siangorochti,  commonly 
called  Grahta,  or  Old  Smoke,  from  the  fact,  that  he  car- 
ried the  brand  by  which  the  council  fires  were  lighted,  an 
honor  held  by  no  other.  At  the  time  of  Sullivan's  ex- 
pedition, the  old  king  incapacitated  by  age  from  taking 
part  in  the  war, fled  in  advance  of  the  army  to  the  British 
fort  at  Niagara,  while  the  young  king, being  only  twelve 
years  of  age,  was  too  young  to  engage  in  military  affairs. 
A  daughter  of  the  old  king  married  Roland,  a  son  of 
Catherine  Montour.  On  the  9th  of  September,  after  a 
march  of  eight  miles,  the  army  encamped  in  the  woods, 


136  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAI 

near  a  stream  of  water  now  called  Flint  Creek. 

Starting  the  next  morning  at  8  o'clock,  after  marching 
eleven  miles,  the  army  came  to  Kanandaigua  Lake ;  and 
fording  its  outlet  marched  a  mile  farther,  when  they 
found  the  town  of  Kanandaigua,  consisting  of  twenty- 
three  elegant  houses,  some  of  them  framed,  others  log, 
but  large  and  new,  pleasantly  situated  about  a  mile  from 
the  west  shore  of  the  lake,  partly  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Cauandaigua.  At  this  place,  the  rear  guard  of  the  enemy 
remained  so  long,  that  their  fires  were  found  burning. 
The  torch  was  soon  applied  to  the  buildings,  and  the 
army  advanced  a  mile  farther  where  the  coinfields  were, 
and  encamped,  when  fatigue  parties  were  detailed  for 
the  destruction  of  the  crops,  which  was  pretty  thoroughly 
accomplished  before  dark. 

Before  daylight  on  the  morning  of  Saturday,  Septem- 
ber llth,  the  troops  were  again  in  motion.  A  march  of 
fourteen  miles  brought  them  to  the  Indian  town  of  Han- 
ne-ya-ye,  which  contained  about  twenty  houses,  and  was 
near  the  site  of  present  Honeoye.  at  the  foot  of  Honeoye 
Lake,  on  the  east  side  of  its  outlet. 

Sunday  morning,  September  12th,  was  rainy,  with  thun- 
der and  lightning,  so  that  it  was  noon  before  the  army 
broke  camp,  after  which  it  marched  eleven  miles  and  en- 
camped in  the  woods,  nearly  two  miles  from  Kanaghsaws. 
which  place  Sullivan  would  have  reached  that  day  but  for 
the  rain.  He  arrived  there  early  the  next  morning.  This 
town  which  is  also  called  Adjuton,  and  several  other 
names,  in  the  journals,  consisted  of  eighteen  houses  on 
the  east  of  the  inlet  to  Conesus  Lake,  a  short  dis- 
tance southeast  of  the  head  of  the  lake,  and  about  one 
mile  northwest  of  Conesus  Center,  on  the  north  and  south 
road  that  passes  through  the  McMillan  farm.  Between 
the  town  and  the  lake,  on  what  were  afterwards  known 
as  Henderson's  Flats,  were  the  corn  fields.  The  main 
army  encamped  nearly  two  miles  north,  on  the  flats 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  137 

southwest  of  Foot' s  Corners.  George  Grant  says,  that  a 
fine  stream  of  water  ran  through  the  town,  and  that  an 
enterprising  negro,  called  Captain  Sunfish,  who  had  ac- 
quired considerable  wealth  and  influence,  resided  here. 
It  was  also  the  home  of  the  well-known  Seneca  chieftain, 
Big  Tree,  of  whom  Mr.  Doty  says,  that  he  was  a  useful 
friend  of  the  American  cause  in  the  Revolution,  and  a 
leading  adviser  in  all  treaties  and  councils  of  the  Senecas. 
In  the  summer  of  1778,  he  was  sent  by  Washington  to 
the  towns  along  the  Genesee,  in  the  hope  that  his  personal 
influence  and  eloquence  might  win  the  Senecas  to  the 
€ause  of  the  States.  He  found  his  countrymen  disposed 
to  listen  until  they  learned  from  a  spy  that  the  Americans 
were  about  to  invade  their  country,  when  all  flew  to  arms. 
Big  Tree  put  himself  at  their  head,  as  he  said,  ' '  to  chas- 
tise an  enemy  that  would  dare  to  encroach  upon  his  peo- 
ple's territory."  This  last  Sentence  cannot  be  accepted 
as  correct.  Colonel  Dearborn  says  <hat  Big  Tree  "  made 
great  pretentious  of  friendship  toward  us  ;  has  been  in 
Philadelphia  and  at  General  Washington's  headquarters 
since  the  war  commenced.  He  received  a  number  of 
presents  from  General  Washington  and  Congress,  yet  we 
presume  he  is  again  with  Butler."  The  facts  seem  to  be 
these :  Though  a  real  friend  to  the  Americans,  yet  on 
coming  to  his  own  country  he  found  the  feeling  of  enmity 
so  strong  and  so  universal  among  the  Senecas,  that  he  was 
overborne  by  it  and  obliged  to  submit. 

All  day  the  Indian  scouts  had  been  so  near  our  army 
that  their  tracks  were  fresh  on  the  path,  and  the  water 
was  roiled  through  which  they  passed. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  l^ewtown,the  forces  of 
Butler  and  Brant  had  retired  to  Canawaugus,  near  the 
sice  of  present  Avon,  in  Livingston  County,  but  having 
received  considerable  reinforcements,  they  determined 
to  make  another  attempt  to  arrest  the  further  progress 
of  the  army. 


138  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

At  the  head  of  Conesus  lake  was  a  soft,  miry  bottom, 
along  the  south  side  of  which  ran  the  Indian  path  to  the 
Genesee  towns,  nearly  on  the  site  of  the  present  high- 
way, crossing  the  sluggish  inlet  by  a  bridge,  which  But- 
ler had  destroyed  on  his  retreat, probably  a  few  feet  south 
of  the  present  one.  On  the  west  of  the  lake  and  running 
parallel  with  it,  is  a  steep  bluff  of  considerable  height, 
which  reaches  nearly  to  the  water's  edge,  at  that  time 
covered  with  trees,  and  then  as  now  deeply  gashed  by 
several  ravines  which  come  straight  down  its  face.  The 
path  led  up  to  the  crest  of  the  hill  between  two  of  these 
ravines,  but  with  a  southerly  trend,  then  turned  almost 
directly  north,  until  the  site  of  the  present  burying 
ground  was  reached,  thus  avoiding  the  broken  surface  of 
the  bluff.  This  was  the  place  selected  by  the  enemy  to 
surprise  the  army,  and,  if  possible,  to  destroy  it.* 

Learning  from  his  scouts  that  Sullivan  was  approach- 
ing this  difficult  place,  early  on  the  morning  of  the  12th, 
Butler  left  Canawaugus,  and  in  the  afternoon  had  his 
forces  posted  on  the  crest  of  the  ridge  and  in  the  ravines, 
overlooking  the  south  end  of  the  lake,  and  flanking  the 
path  to  the  Genesee  towns.  Here,  though  perfectly  con- 
cealed, he  was  in  full  view  of  Sullivan's  army  and  within 
musket  shot  of  the  inlet  crossing. 

As  lace  as  1770,  the  principal  Genesee  town, called  Chen- 
ussio,  was  located  near  the  confluence  of  the  Canaseraga 
Creek  with  the  Genesee  River,  and  here  it  was  marked  on 
the  most  recent  maps  to  which  Sullivan  had  access.  He 
was  not  aware  of  the  fact  that  its  location  had  been 
changed  to  the  west  side  of  the  river,  and  seems  to  have 
known  nothing  of  another  town  two  miles  farther  up  the 
Canaserega. 

When,  therefore,  General  Sullivan  reached  his  encamp- 

*0eneral  J .  S.  Clark  has  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that  there  is  a  striking  topo- 
graphical resemblance  between  this  place  and  Braddock's  Field.  The  memory  of  that 
victory  may  have  afforded  inspiration  to  the  courage  and  patience  of  the  enemy. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  139 

ment  on  the  evening  of  the  12th,  he  supposed  that  he 
was  near  the  great  Genesee  Castle  of  which  he  had  heard 
so  much,  and  which  was  the  objective  point  of  his  expe- 
dition. In  order  to  secure  more  accurate  information, 
he  ordered  Lieutenant  Thomas  Boyd  of  the  Riflemen,  to 
take  five  or  six  men  with  him,  make  a  rapid  reconnois- 
sance,  and  report  at  headquarters  as  early  as  sunrise  the 
next  morning.  He  took  however  twelve  riflemen,  six 
musketmen  of  the  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Regiment,  and 
six  volunteers,  making,  with  himself  and  Hanyerry,  an 
Oneida  Indian  guide,  and  Captain  Jehoiakim,  a  Stock- 
bridge  Indian,  twenty-seven  men  in  all.  The  party  left 
camp  north  of  Kanaghsaws  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the  eve- 
ning and  set  out  on  the  trail  leading  to  the  Great  Town. 
Owing  to  his  misinformation,  Sullivan's  directions  had 
been  confusing  and  misleading.  It  was  found  that  the 
principally  traveled  trail  took  a  direction  different  from 
what  was  expected.  Boyd  did  not  lose  his  way,  but  in- 
stead of  taking  the  unused  path  that  led  to  the  abandoned 
Chenussio,  he  took  the  one  which  brought  him  to  an 
important  town  two  miles  farther  up  the  Canaseraga,  the 
only  one  between  the  army  and  the  Genesee.  In  the 
darkness  he  had  passed  ButJer's  right  flank  without 
either  party  having  discovered  the  other.  Boyd  reached 
the  town  which  the  enemy  had  abandoned,  early  in  the 
morning,  without  having  encountered  any  difficulty. 
Halting  his  force  at  the  outskirts  of  the  village,  with  one 
of  his  men  he  carefully  reconnoitered  the  place,  then  re- 
joining the  rest  of  the  party  they  concealed  themselves  in 
the  woods  near  the  town.  He  sent  back  two  of  his  men 
to  report  the  discoveries  he  had  made,  and  awaited  the 
light  of  the  day,  whose  morning  was  just  breaking.  Soon 
four  Indians  on  horseback  were  seen  entering  the  town, 

and  Boyd  sent  a  party  to  take  or  kill  them.  One  Indian 
was  killed  and  another  wounded.  The  wounded  man  and 
the  two  others  escaped.  Boyd  then  ^set  out  for  camp. 
Having  gone  four  or  five  miles,  and  thinking  the  army 


140  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

must  be  on  its  march  toward  him,  he  sat  down  to  rest. 
After  a  short  halt  he  dispatched  two  of  his  men  to  inform 
the  General  where  he  was,  and  of  his  intention  to  await 
the  coming  of  the  army.  In  a  short  time  these  men  re- 
turned with  the  information  that  they  had  discovered 
five  Indians  on  the  path.  Boyd  again  resumed  his  march 
and  had  gone  but  a  short  distance,  when  he  discovered 
the  same  party  and  fired  on  them.  They  ran,  and  Boyd, 
against  the  advice  of  Hanyerry,  pursued  them.  The 
chase  was  kept  up  for  some  distance,  the  Indians 
succeeding  in  alluring  the  scouting  party  near  the  ene- 
my's lines.  They  then  allowed  the  party  to  approach 
sufficiently  near  to  draw  their  fire,  but  kept  out  of  dan- 
ger. Butler,  hearing  the  firing  on  his  right,  as  his  force 
was  arranged  facing  Conesus,  and  fearing  that  he  had 
been  discovered,  and  that  an  attempt  was  being  made  to 
surprise  his  camp,  hastened  to  the  spot,  where  he  found 
Bo}7d's  party  still  following  the  Indians.  Without 
being  aware  of  their  presence,  Boyd  was  already  with- 
in the  fatal  embrace  of  the  enemy,  and  before  he  was 
aware  of  it,Butler  had  given  such  orders  as  to  completely 
surround  him.  Once  and  again  he  attempted  to  break 
their  line  but  without  success  ;  he  then  sought  to  retreat, 
•but  he  was  encompassed  on  all  sides.  The  odds  were 
fearful,  eight  hundred  of  the  Indians  and  Tories  to  twen- 
ty-seven Americans,  but  the  scouts  determined  to  sell 
their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible  ;  and  relief  from  our 
army,  which  was  only  about  a  mile  distant,  was  expected 
every  moment.  Covered  by  a  clump  of  trees  our  men 
poured  a  murderous  fire  upon  the  enemy  as  they  were 
closing  around  them,  numbers  of  whom  were  seen  to  fall.* 


*The  place  where  Bovd's  men  were  buried  was  near  where  they  fell.  It  is  at  the 
head  of  the  first  ravine  south  of  the  road  which  passes  by  the  cemetery  on  the  hill  west 
of  the  head  of  Conesus  Lake.  The  point  is  within  a  half  mile  of  the  cemetery  and 
about  ten  rods  directly  south  of  Mrs.  Boyd's  barn.  A  view  of  the  spot  is  given  in  the 
listory  of  Livingston  County.  Nearly  forty  years  ago  the  grave  was  opened  and  some 
of  the  bones  were  taken  to  Mt.  Hope  Cemetery,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  141 

In  all,  fifteen  of  Boyd's  party,  including  Hanyerry,  were 
slain,  eight  escaped,  Boyd  and  his  sergeant  Parker  were 
captured,  and  two  had  been  sent  early  in  the  morning  to 
report  to  General  Sullivan.  The  bodies  of  the  slain  were 
found  on  the  16th  and  buried  with  military  honors;  that 
of  Hanyerry  with  the  others,  although  literally  hacked 
to  pieces.  The  story  of  his  capture,  the  theatrical  ad- 
dress of  his  brother,  and  his  tragic  end,. as  told  by  Stone 
and  repeated  by  others,  lacks  both  confirmation  and  pro- 
bability. Of  those  who  escaped,  one  was  the  noted  Timo- 
thy Murphy,  an  account  of  whose  hair-breadth  escapes 
and  deeds  of  reckless  daring  would  fill  a  volume.  Others 
were  Elerson,  McDonald,  Garrett  Putnam,  a  French 
Canadian  and  Captain  Jehoiakim.  Boyd  and  Parker 
were  hastened  to  Little  Beard's  town,  where  they  were 
put  to  death  with  cruel  tortures. 

It  has  been  currently  reported,  that  after  his  capture, 
Boyd  approached  Brant  under  the  sign  of  a  Free  Mason, 
of  which  ancient  fraternity  both  were  members,  that  the 
chieftain  recognized  the  bond  of  brotherhood  and  promis- 
ed him  protection,  but  he  having  been  unexpectedly  called 
away,  the  captives  were  placed  in  charge  of  Butler  (proba- 
bly Walter  N.)  who,  becoming  exasperated  with  Boyd's 
persistent  refusal  to  disclose  any  information  in  regard  to 
the  army,  handed  them  over  to  the  Indians  to  be  put  to 
death.  The  whole  story,  however,  is  extremely  doubt- 
ful, and  it  is  now  difficult  to  ascertain  how  much  of  it, 
if  any,  should  be  received  as  true.  The  most  that  can  be 
said  with  certainty  is,  that  the  next  day  the  bodies  of 
the  unfortunate  men  were  found  by  our  troops,  horribly 
mangled,  and  bearing  marks  of  having  suffered  unspeaka- 
ble torture.* 


*On  the  27th  of  March,  1780,  a  party  of  Indians  captured  Thomas  Bennett  and  others 
in  the  Wyoming  Valley.  The  leader  had  a  very  fine  sword,  which  he  said  belonged  to 
Boyd,  and  added,  "Boyd  brave  man.-'  The  prisoners  rose  upon  their  captors,  killed 
several  of  them,  recaptured  the  sword,  and  returned  in  safety  to  Wyoming. 


142  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

Sullivan  had  established  a  line  of  sentries  along  the 
base  of  the  bill  next  the  morass,  to  guard  the  pioneers 
against  surprise  while  repairing- the  bridge.  Captain 
Benjamin  Lodge,  who  was  the  surveyor  for  the  expedi- 
tion, and  with  chain  and  compass  had  measured  the 
entire  route  from  Easton,  about  half  an  hour  after 
the  skirmish  with  Boyd  on  the  hill,  had  gone  a  short 
distance  beyond  the  picket  line,  when  he  was  set  upon 
by  a  party  of  Indians,  who  were  pursuing  the  fugitives 
of  the  scouting  party.  Thomas  Grant,  who  was  one  of 
the  surveying  party,  thus  tells  the  story  :  "Myself  and 
four  chain  carriers,  who  were  about  one  and  a  half  miles 
advanced  of  the  troops,  were  fired  on  by  several  Indians, 
who  lay  in  ambush  ;  a  corporal  by  the  name  of  Calhawn, 
who  came  voluntarily  with  me,  was  mortally  wounded 
and  died  the  next  day.  The  Indians  pursued  us  a  fourth 
of  a  mile,  but  without  success, — we  being  unarmed  were 
obliged  to  run."  Captain  Lodge  was  compelled  to  leave 
his  compass  and  ran  towards  the  nearest  sentinel,  who 
shot  the  Indian  chasing  him  with  uplifted  tomahawk, 
and  Captain  Lodge  escaped.  General  Sullivan  ordered 
Hand's  brigade  to  cross  the  morass,  push  up  the  hill  and 
dislodge  the  enemy.  Butler  on  returning  to  his  forces 
on  the  crest  of  the  hill  found  them  in  confusion,  and,  see- 
ing the  preparations  made. to  attack  them,  beat  a  hasty 
retreat,  leaving  their  hats,  packs,  etc.,  behind  them. 
Butler  being  thus  thwarted  in  his  plans  to  surprise  the 
army,  withdrew  his  forces  to  Gathtsegwarohare,  and  then 
to  Canawaugus. 

Having  destroyed  Kanaghsaws  and  completed  the  bridge 
across  the  creek,  Sullivan  pushed  forward  on  the  trail 
taken  .by  Boyd  the  night  before,  a  distance  of  seven  miles 
to  Gathtsegwarohare. 

This  was  an  Indian  town  of  twenty-five  houses,  mostly 
new,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Canaseraga  Creek, about  two 
miles  above  its  confluence  with  the  Genesee.  The  site 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  143 

is  now  occupied  by  the  house  and  surrounding  grounds 
of  the  "Hermitage,"  the  ancestral  home  of  the  Carrolls. 
As  the  advance  of  the  army  approached  the  town  about 
dusk  of  September  13th, they  found  themselves  confront- 
ed by  a  strong  force  of  Indians  and  rangers,  drawn  up  in 
battle  array  to  dispute  their  further  progress.  The  Gen- 
eral at  once  pushed  forward  the  flanking  divisions  to  cut 
off  their  retreat,  but  the  enemy,  seeing  the  troops  come 
into  position,  fled  without  firing  a  gun,  and  the  army  en- 
camped in  the  town  without  opposition.  There  were  ex- 
tensive cornfields  adjacent  to  the  town,  which  it  took  two 
thousand  men,  six  hours,  the  next  day,  to  destroy.  This 
being  accomplished,  about  noon  of  the  14th  they  set  out 
for  the  great  Genesee  town,  reaching  it  about  sunset. 

The  location  of  this  great  Seneca  Castle,  was  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Genesee  river,  on  the  flat  immediately  in 
front  of  Cuylersville,  in  the  town  of  Leicester,  on  the  op- 
posite side  of  the  valley  from  Geneseo.  It  appears  on 
Ivan's  map  as  Chenandoanes;  in  1776  it  was  called  Che- 
nondanah;  by  Morgan  it  is  called  De-o-nun-da-ga-a,  as  a 
more  modern  Seneca  name,  signifying  "where  the  hill  is 
near,"  but  is  more  often  called  Little  Beard's  town, from 
the  name  of  the  noted  Seneca  chieftain  who  resided  there 
in  1779. 

The  castle  consisted  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
houses,  of  which  the  most  were  large  and  elegant,  and 
was  surrounded  by  about  two  hundred  acres  of  cornfields 
and  gardens,  filled  with  all  kinds  of  vegetables.  It  was 
the  western  door  of  the  Long  House  to  which  the  Iro- 
quois  were  accustomed  to  liken  their  confederacy.  lNrear 
this  town  were  found  the  bodies  of  Lieutenant  Thomas 
Boyd  and  Sergeant  Parker,  horribly  mutilated  by  the 
tortures  to  which  they  had  been  subjected.  They  were 
buried  that  evening  with  the  honors  of  war,  near  the  spot 
where  they  were  found. 

At  6  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  .the  15th  of  September, 


144  SEISTECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

the  whole  army  was  turned  out  to  destroy  the  crops,  or- 
chards, houses  and  gardens  of  the  place.  The  corn  was 
piled  up  in  the  houses  and  burned  with  them,  or  con- 
sumed on  log  heaps.  It  Avas  estimated  that  from  fifteen 
thousand  to  twenty  thousand  bushels  were  destroyed  at 
this  place.  It  was  the  largest  corn  the  troops  had  ever 
seen,  some  of  the  ears  being  twenty-two  inches  in  length. 
It  was  about  two  o'clock, P.M.,  when, the  fields  having  been 
overrun,  the  abundant  harvest  destroyed,  the  trees  hewn 
down,  and  naught  of  the  great  town  remaining  but 
smoking  ruins  and  blackened  logs,  there  came  the  joyful 
order  to  about  face  and  return.*  While  the  army  re- 
mained at  this  town,  Mrs.  Lester,  with  a  child  in  her 
arms,  came  to  our  troops.  The  autumn  previous  (Novem- 
ber 7th)  her  husband  with  others  was  captured  near  Nanti- 
coke,  Pennsylvania,  by  the  Indians;  he  was  slain, but  his 
wife  was  carried  into  captivity.  In  their  haste  to  escape 
our  army,  her  captors  left  her  behind,  and  she  escaped  to 
our  lines.  Her  child  died  a  few  days  after.  She  subse- 
quently became 'the  wife  of  Captain  Roswell  Franklin, 
who  was  in  the  first  party  that  settled  Aurora,  on  Cayu- 
ga  lake. 

Having  over-run  and  destroyed,  as  it  was  supposed, 
all  the  villages  of  the  Senecas,  about  three  o'clock,  p.  M,, 
the  army  set  out  on  its  return  by  the  same  route  it  had 
advanced,  and  on  the  evening  of  the  19th,  reached  Kana- 
dasaga  without  any  occurrence  worthy  of  note,  except 
that  scattered  dwellings  and  fields  of  corn  which  had  been 
overlooked,  or  purposely  spared,  were  completely  de- 
stroyed, and  a  number  of  the  pack-horses,  being  unable 
to  travel  further,  were  shot.  Here  Sullivan  was  met  by  a 
delegation  from  the  Oneidas,  who  came  to  excuse  them- 
selves for  not  joining  the  expedition,  and  also  to  intercede 


*The  Groveland  ambuscade  and^the  destruction  of  the  Qenesee  towns  were  fittingly 
commemorated  at  Geneseo,  Livingston  County,  September  16th,  1«79,  their  centennial 
anniversary. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  145 

on  behalf  of  the  Cayugas,  east  of  the  lake,  who  claimed 
to  be  friendly  to  Congress.  They  were  also  closely  unit- 
ed to  the  Oneidas  by  intermarriages  ;  who  thought  that 
if  the  towns  were  destroyed  and  the  means  of  subsistence 
laid  waste,  their  families  would  come  to  them  for  sup- 
port, which,  added  to  their  already  heavy  burdens,  would 
be  more  than  they  could  endure.  In  reply,  General  Sul- 
livan informed  them  that  the  whole  course  of  the 
Cayugas  had  been  marked  by  duplicity,  and  hostility, 
for  which  he  had  determined  they  should  be  chastised, 
and  he  should  not  be  turned  from  his  purpose. 

On  Monday  morning,  the  20th  of  September,  General 
Sullivan  detached  Colonel  Gansevoort  with  100  men 
selected  from  the  New  York  Regiments, with  instructions 
to  go  to  Albany,  via  Fort  Schuyler.  and  bring  forward 
the  heavy  baggage  which  had  been  stored  at  those  places, 
previous  to  the  setting  out  of  the  expedition.  A  few 
families  of  the  Mohawks  who  professed  to  be  friendly  to 
the  United  States,  occupied  what  was  known  as  the 
Lower  Mohawk  Castle.  By  some  means  Sullivan  had  been 
informed  that  these  Indians  were  acting  as  spies  for  the 
hostile  part  of  the  nations,  and  directed  Colonel  Ganse- 
voort to  capture  the  inhabitants  and  destroy  their  town. 
On  the  representations  of  their  neighbors  of  the  friendly 
disposition  of  these  Indians,  he  set  a  guard  over  their 
town,  but  took  the  men  to  Albany ;  where,  upon  the 
statement  of  Schuyler,*  Washington  ordered  their  im- 
mediate release  with  directions  "To  lay  them  under  such 
obligations  for  their  future  good  behavior  as  they  should 
think  necessary." 


*The  following  is  General  Schuyler's  letter  to  Colonel  Gansevoort,  dated  Albany, 
October  7, 1779: 
DEAR  SIR:— 

Having  perused  General  Sullivan's  orders  to  you.respecting  the  Indians  of  the  lower 
Mohawk  Castle  and  their  property,  I  conceive  they  are  founded  on  misinformation 
given  to  that  gentleman.  Those  Indians  haye  peaceably  remained  there  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  public  faith,  repeatedly  given  them  by  the  Commissioners  of  Indian  affairs 
on  condition  of  peaceable  demeanor;  this  contract  they  have  not  violated.to  our  knowl- 


146  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

In  Colonel  Gansevoort's  letter  to  General  Sullivan,  he 
describes  the  movements  of  his  detachment: 

ALBANY,  October  8th,  1779. 
DEAR  SIR:— 

Agreeable  to  my  orders,  I  proceeded  by  the  shortest 
route  to  the  lower  Mohawk  Castle,  passing  through  the 
Tuscarora  and  Oneida  Castles,  where  every  mark  of  hu- 
manity and  friendship  was  shown  the  party.  I  had  the 
pleasure  to  find  that  not  the  least  damage  nor  insult  was 
offered  any  of  the  inhabitants.  On  the  25th  ultimo,  I  ar- 
rived at  Fort  Schuyler,  where,  refreshing  the  party,  I  pro- 
ceeded down  the  river,  and  on  the  29th  effectually  sur- 
prised the  lower  Mohawk  Castle,  making  prisoners  of 
every  Indian  inhabitant. 

They  then  occuppied  but  four  houses.  I  was  preparing 
— agreeable  to  my  orders,  to  destroy  them,  but  was  in- 
terrupted by  the  intercessions  and  entreaties  of  several 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  frontiers,  who  have  lately  been 
driven  from  their  settlements  by  the  savages,  praying  they 
might  have  liberty  to  enter  into  the  Mohawk's  houses, 
whilst  they  could  procure  other  habitations.  And  well- 
knowing  these  persons  to  have  lately  lost  their  all,  hu- 
manity tempted  me,  in  this  particular,  to  act  in  some  de- 
gree, contrary  to  orders.  At  this  I  could  not  but  be 
confident  of  your  approbation,  especially  when  you  are 
informed  that  this  Castle  is  in  the  heart  of  our  settle- 
ments and  abounds  with  every  necessary,  so  that  it  is  re- 
marked, that  these  Indians  live  much  better  than  most  of 
the  Mohawk  River  farmers.  Their  houses  were  well  fur- 


edge.  It  is,  therefore,  incumbent  upon  us,  as  servants  of  the  public,  to  keep  the  public 
faith  inviolate,  and  we  therefore  entr  at  you  to  postpone  the  sending  the  Indians  from 
hence  until  the  pleasure  of  his  Excellency,  General  Washington,  can  be  obtained;  and 
a  letter  is  already  dispatched  to  him  on  the  occasion,  and  in  which  we  have  mentioned 
this  application  to  you. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

PH.  SCHUYLER. 

President  of  the  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Indian  Affairs.    N.  Dep't. 
COLONEL  GANSEVOORT." 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  147 

nished  with  all  necessary  household  utensils,  and  great 
plenty  of  grain  ;  several  horses,  cows  and  wagons,  of  all 
which  I  have  an  inventory,  leaving  them  in  care  of  Ma- 
jor Newkark  of  that  place,  who  distributed  the  refugees 
in  the  several  houses.  Such  being  the  situation,  I  did  not 
allow  the  party  to  plunder. 

The  prisoners  arrived  at  Albany  the  2d  instant,  all 
closely  secured  in  the  fort.  Yesterday  the  7th,  I  received 
a  letter  from  General  Schuyler,  (I  have  enclosed  a  copy,) 
respecting  those  prisoners,  and  desiring  the  sending  the 
prisoners  down  might  be  postponed  until  an  express 
arrived  from  his  Excellency,  General  Washington.  Agree- 
able to  this  request,  a  Sergeant  and  twelve  men  are  de- 
tained to  keep  charge  of  the  prisoners  until  his  Excel- 
lency's pleasure  is  known.  *  *  * 

I  am,  Dear  Sir,  with  Respect, 
Your  Most  Obedient  and  Very  Humble  Servant, 

PETER  GANSEVOORT.* 
HONORABLE  MAJOR  GENERAL  SULLIVAN. 

At  the  same  time  (September  20th.)  a  detachment  of 
six  hundred  men  under  the  command  of  Lieu  tenant-Col  - 


*Peter  Gansevoort  was  of  one  of  the  oldest  Albany  Knickerbocker  familie8,his  great 
grandfather,  Harmen  Van  Gansevoort,  having  settled  in  that  place  as  early  as  1660,and 
owning  a  lot  on  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Maiden  Lane,  still  held  by  his  descend- 
ants. He  was  born  at  Albany.July  17th,1749,and  died  July  2d,1812.  He  was  appointed 
by  Congress.July  19th,1775,a  Major  in  the  Second  N.  Y.  Regiment,  and  joined  the  army 
under  Montgomery,  which  invaded  Canada.  March  1, 1776,  he  was  made  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.and November  21st,of  the  same  year.Colonel  of  the  Third  Regiment.  In  April, 
1774,  he  took  command  of  Fort  Schuyler,  and  gallantly  defended  it  against  the  British 
under  St.  Leger,  who.after  besieging  it  from  the  2d  to  the  22d  of  August,  retreated.  By 
preventing  the  co-operation  of  that  officer  with  Burgoyne,  he  contributed  largely  to 
the  defeat  of  the  latter,  and  obtained  the  thanks  of  Congress.  In  the  spring  of  1779,he 
was  ordered  to  join  Sullivan  in  the  Western  Expedition,  his  regiment  forming  the  left 
wing  of  Clinton's  brigade.  In  1781,  the  State  of  New  York  appointed  him  a  Brigadier- 
General.  He  afterward  filled  a  number  of  important  offices,  among  which  were  Sher- 
iff of  Albany  County,  a  Regent  of  the  University  of  the  Sta,te  of  New  York,  Commis- 
sioner of  Indian  Affairs,  and  for  fortifying  the  frontiers,  Military  Agent.and  Brigadier- 
General  in  the  United  btates  Army. 

10 


148  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

onel  William  Butler,*  of  the  Fourth  Pennsylvania  Regi- 
ment, was  sent  to  lay  waste  the  towns  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Cayuga  Lake.  Thomas  Grant  accompanied  this 
detachment,  and  his  journal,  which  unfortunately  ends 
abruptly  September  25th,  and  the  journal  of  George 
Grant,  Sergeant-Major  of  the  Third  New  Jersey  Regi- 
ment, with  Sullivan's  Report,  are  the  principal  sources 
of  information  in  regard  to  their  movements. 

It  was  3  o'clock  P.  M.,  when  the  detachments  of  Garise- 
voort  and  Butler  set  out  from  Kanadasaga  for  Skoi-yase, 
which  they  reached  at  dark  and  encamped  there  for  the 
night.  The  next  morning  several  fields  of  corn  were  dis- 
covered about  the  town,  which  Major  Scott,  f  with  two 


*Colonel  William  Butler  was  the  second  of  five  brothers  of  a  family  who  came  from 
Ireland  and  settled  in  Cumberland  County,  Pa.,prior  to  1760. 

On  the  formation  of  the  4th  Regiment  he  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
October  25th,  1776.  As  a  military  officer  he  early  acquired  considerable  distinction. 
When,  in  the  spring  of  1778,  the  whole  frontier  was  threatened  bv  Indians  and  Tories, 
Timothy  Pickering  wrote  to  Washington  for  "an  officer  of  established  reputation  for 
bravery  and  capacity,"  and  adds,  "if  we  are  not  misinformed,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wil- 
liam Butler  has  been  most  conversant  with  the  Indians  and  their  mode  of  lighting." 

Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  in  which  both  his  regiment  and  himself 
bore  an  important  part,  his  regiment,  with  six  companies  of  Morgan's  riflemen,  was 
stationed  at  Schoharie.  Here  his  bravery  and  experience  as  an  officer,  which  was  sec- 
ond to  none  of  his  rank,  rendered  him  gieatly  efficient  in  quieting  the  disaffected,  and 
establishing  confidence  and  courage  among  the  people.  In  order  to  break  up  the  haunts 
of  the  hostile  Indians  on  the  Susquehanna.Colonel  Thomas  Hartley.with  the  llth  Penn- 
sylvania,ascended  the  river  as  far  as  Tioga.which  he  destroyed,  together  with  Queen 
Esther's  Plantation  and  Wyalusing;  and  about  the  same  time,  Colonel  Butler,  the  rifle- 
men and  a  corps  ol  twenty  rangers,  marched  to  the  waters  of  the  Delaware,  descended 
that  stream  for  two  days.and  then  struck  off  for  the  Susquehanna,  which  they  reached  at 
Unadilla.  The  Indians  fled  on  their  approach,  leaving  behind  great  quantities  of  corn, 
some  cattle  and  much  of  their  household  goods.  Butler  pushed  on  to  Oghkwaga, which 
was  a  well-built  Indian  town,  there  being  a  number  of  good  farm  houses  on  each  side 
of  the  river.  Destroying  both  these  towns,  and  an  Indian  castle  three  miles  below,  the 
mills  at  Unadilla,  and  the  corn,  Butler  returned  to  Schoharie.  He  went  down  the  river 
with  Clinton  in  1779,  to  Tioga, where  he  was  transferred  to  Hand's  Brigade.  He  served 
in  the  army  until  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  moved  to  Pittsburg.  Here  the  remain- 
ing years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  comparative  quiet  and  comfort  until  hi*  death.in  1789. 
Be  was  buried  in  Trinity  Church  yard,  Pittsburgh.  The  inscription  upon  the  tablet 
erected  to  his  memory  has  become  well-nigh  effaced  by  the  storms  of  nearly  a  century. 


tMajor  William  Scott,  of  Cilley's  1st  New  Hampshire  Regiment,  was  of  Scotch- Irish 
descent,  his  father,  Alexander,  b<  ing  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  Peterborough,  moving 
into  that  town  in  17*2.  While  preparing  a  permanent  settlement,  he  left  his  wife  in 
Townsend,Mass.,where  William  was  born.May  1743.  When  seventeen  years  of  age  he  be 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  149 

hundred  men,  was  detailed  to  destroy.    • 

While  Major  Scott  and  his  party  were  engaged  in 
completing  the  destruction  of  Skoi-yase,  the  rest  of  the 
detachment  pushed  forward,  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. A  inarch  of  eleven  miles  brought  them  to  Caynga 
Lake,  the  outlet  of  which  they  crossed  where  it  was  seventy 
perches  in  width,  wading  up  to  their  breasts  in  water. 
Just  at  the  outlet  of  this  lake 'was  the  old  Indian  town, 
Tiohero,  which  the  Jesuit  fathers  called  St.  Stephen, 
The  journalist  says,  '"Near  the  outlet  destroyed  two 
Indian  houses.  The  name  of  the  place  is  Choharo." 
The  site  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  at  a  point  where 
it  was  crossed  by  the  great  trail,  and  near  where  it  was 
afterward  crossed  by  the  Northern  Turnpike.  While 
they  were  destroying  this  place, Major  Scott  and  his  party 
overtook  them.  Five  and  u  half  miles  farther,  or  sixteen 
miles  irom  Skoi-yase.  the  detachment  encamped  for  the 
night  at  a  small  Indian  settlement,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
the  Cayuga  Castle,  called  Gewawga,  located  on  the  site 
of  Union  Springs.  After  leaving  Choharo,  the  path  kept 
near  the  lake  shore,  along  which  were  several  houses  and. 
corn  fields  that  the  detachment  destroyed  as  it  passed 
along. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  September  22d, 
the  detachment  reached  Cayuga  Castle.  Thomas  Grant 
describes  this  town  as  containing  fifteen  very  large  square 
log  houses,  and  adds,  "I  think  the  buildings  superior  to 


came  connected  with  Goffs  regiment.and  was  noted  for  his  energy  and  courage.  In  1775, 
he  was  a  "Lieutenant  in  one  of  the  Massachusetts  Regiments.and  fought  with  desperate 
courage.  His  leg  was  fractured  early  in  an  engagement  in  which  his  regiment  parti- 
cipated, but  he  continued  fighting  until,receiving  other  wounds,  he  fell  and  was  taken 
prisoner.  Upon  the  evacuation  of  Boston  he  was  carried  to  Halifax  and  thrown  into 
prison,  but  escaped  by  undermining  its  walls.  He  was  in  Fort  Washington  at  the  time 
of  its  surrender.November  17th,1776,and  was  the  only  person  who  escaped.which  he  ef- 
fected by  swimming  the  Hudson  by  night,  where  it  was  a  mile  in  width  He  was  pro- 
moted to  a  captaincy  in  a  Massachusetts  Regiment,  but  preferring  the  New  Hampshire 
line,  he  accepted  a  captaincy  in  Cilley's  Regiment  He  was  with  the  army  until  1781, 
when  he  entered  the  naval  service  in  which  he  continued  until  the  close  of  the  war. 
He  died  at  Litchfleld,X.H.,September  10th,1796,aged  fifty-three  years.— JV.  H.  hist.  Coll. 


150  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

any  I  have  yet  seen."  Two  other  towns  were  in  the  im- 
me*diate  neighborhood  ;  one,  a  mile  south  from  the  Castle 
and  called  by  our  men  Upper  Cayuga,  containing  four- 
teen large  houses,  and  the  other,  two  miles  north-east  of 
the  Castle,  (Grant  says,)  called  by  our  men  Cayuga,  some- 
times East  Cayuga,  or  Old  Town.  In  the  vicinity  of  the 
Castle,  were  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of  corn  ;  besides 
apples,  peaches,  potatoes,  turnips,  onions,  pumpkins, 
squashes  and  other  vegetables  in  abundance.  Major 
Grant  describes  Cayuga  as  a  large  and  commodious  town 
consisting  of  about  fifty  houses,  but  he  evidently  in- 
cludes the  three  towns  mentioned  by  Thomas  Grant ;  he 
also  adds  that  the  troops  found  salt  here,  manufactured 
by  the  Indians  from  the  salt  springs  near  Choharo,  some 
United  States  muskets  and  a  few  regimental  coats.  The 
Oneidas,  who  accompanied  the  detachment  of  Colonel 
Butler  on  their  return  to  their  own  country  and  who  had 
besought  clemency  for  the  Cayugas,  were  somewhat  dis- 
pleased with  General  Sullivan's  answer  to  their  petition, 
but,  on  searching  the  houses  at  Cayuga,  some  fresh  scalps 
were  discovered,  which,  being  shown,  to  them  con- 
vinced them  of  the  justice  of  the  course  pursued  by  Sul- 
livan. This  town,  the  Cayuga  Castle,  probably  occupied 
the  same  site  as  the  one  called  by  the  French  Jesuits, 
Goi-o-gouen,  at  which  the  mission  of  St.  Joseph's  was 
established,  and  which  General  John  S.  Clark  locates  on 
the  north  side  of  Great  Gully  Brook.  This  corresponds 
with  the  distance  (ten  miles,)  recorded  by  Mr.  Benjamin 
Lodge,  the  Surveyor  of  the  expedition,  who  accompanied 
this  detachment.  On  his  map  Cayuga  Castle  is  located 
on  the  north  side  of  the  stream,  and  Upper  Cayuga  on 
the  south  side  of  it. 

The  troops  were  employed  until  three  o'clock,  P.  M.,  of 
the  next  day,  in  destroying  this  place  when  they  marched 
to  Chonodote,  four  and  a  half  miles  from  Cayuga  Castle, 
and  which  Mr.  Lodge  notes  as  "remarkable  for  its  peach 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  151 

trees."  There  were  fifteen  hundred  of  them,  some  apple 
trees,  and  a  number  of  acres  of  corn.  This  town  con- 
sisted of  twelve  or  fourteen  bouses,  chiefly  old  buildings, 
and  stood  on  the  site  of  the  village  of  Aurora.  Here  the 
army  encamped  for  the  night.  Early  the  next  morning, 
September  24th,  the  work  of  destruction  commenced. 
As  remorseless  as  a  cannon  shot,  the  axe  levelled  every 
•tree  though  burdened  with  its  load  of  luscious  fruit,  and 
the  freshly  ripened  corn  was  gathered  only  to  be  de- 
stroyed. At  10  o'clock,  A.  M.,*  the  torch  was  applied  to 
the  dwellings,  and  as  the  crackling  flames  lifted  their 
fiery  heads  over  this  scene  of  havoc  and  destruction,  the 
detachment  resumed  its  march.  It  was  an  hour  after 
dark  before  the  next  encampment  was  reached,  which 
was  sixteen  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Chonodote,  beside 
a  fine  stream  of  water. 

Early  on  Saturday  morning,  the  25th,  the  detachment 
resumed  its  march.  After  travelling  seven  miles,  they 
reached  the  southern  extremity  of  Cayuga  Lake  ;  going 
five  miles  farther,  they  came  to  the  smoking  ruins  of  a 
town  destroyed  by  a  party  under  Colonel  Dearborn,  the 
day  before,  of  which  I  shall  speak  presently.  Having 
destroyed  the  corn  which  was  overlooked  by  the  party 
who  burned  the  town,  the  troops  encamped  here  for 
the  night. 

On  the  26th  and  the  27th,  the  route  for  most  of  the  way 
was  through  a  pathless  wilderness,  where  the  sun  and  the 
surveyor's  compass  were  the  only  guides.  On  the  28th 
the  detachment  rejoined  the  main  army  at  Fort  Reid,  at 
Kanawaholla. 

In  his  report  General  Sullivan  sums  up  the  results  of 
this  branch  of  the  expedition  as  follows  :  '  'Colonel  But- 
ler destroyed,  in  the  Cayuga  country,  five  principal  towns 
and  a  number  of  scattering  houses,  the  whole  making 


*September  24th,  1879, the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  destruction  of  Chonodote 
was  appropriately  commemorated  at  Aurora,  Cayuga  County. 


152  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

about  one  hundred  in  number,  exceedingly  large  and  well 
built.  He  also  destroyed  two  hundred  acres  of  excellent 
com,  with  a  number  of  orchards,  one  of  which  had  one 
thousand  five  hundred  fruit  trees."  The  five  towns  de- 
stroyed were  Skoi-yase,the  three  Cayugas  and  Chonodote. 

We  left  General  Sullivan  with  the  main  army  at  Kana- 
dasaga  on  the  20th.  That  day  he  crossed  to  the  east  side 
of  the  outlet  and  encamped.  From  this  point,  on  Tues- 
day morning,  the  21st,  Colonel  Dearborn*  with  two 
hundred  men  was  sent  to  lay  waste  the  country  on  the 
west  side  of  Cayuga  Lafce.  General  Sullivan  says  :  "I 
detached  Colonel  Dearborn  to  the  west  side  of  Cayuga 
Lake,  to  destroy  all  the  settlements  which  might  be  found 
there,  and  to  intercept  the  Cayugas  if  they  should  at- 
tempt to  escape  Colonel  Butler." 

The  journal  of  Colonel  Dearborn  and  that  of  Major 
James  JN  orris  of  the  same  Regiment,  Third  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  the  Seneca  County  Courier,  are  the  principal 
sources  of  information. 

At  eight  o'clock  the  detachment  left  the  main  army, 
and  taking  almost  a  direct  easterly  course,  came  to  three 
wigwams  in  the  woods,  where  were  also  several  patches 
of  corn,  cucumbers,  melons,  peas,  etc. ;  they  also  found 
near  here  fifteen  horses.  Advancing  four  miles  farther, 


*Henry  Dearborn  was  born  at  Hampton.N.  H.,March,1751,studiedmedicine,but,hear- 
Ing  of  the  battle  of  Lexington  enlisted  sixty  volunteers  and  joined  Start's  New  Hamp- 
shire Regiment.  He  was  at  Bunker  Hill  with  his  company, where  he  fought  most  bravely. 
In  September,  he  joined  Arnold's  expedition  and  marched  through  the  rvilds  of  Maine 
and  Canada  for  Quebec,  and  in  the  assault  upon  that  city  was  taken  prisoner.  In 
March,T7?7,he  was  exchanged  and  appointed  Major  of  Scammel's  Regiment.  He  fought 
with  such  gallantry  in  the  battle  of  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  as  to  be  noticed  in  orders 
by  General  Gates.  He  was  at  York  >wn  in  1781,  at  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis.  He 
was  for  two  terms  Member  of  Congress.and  was  Secretary  of  War  from  1801  to  1809,un- 
der  Jefferson,  after  which  he  was  appointed  collector  of  the  port  of  Boston.  In  1812, 
he  was  appointed  Senior  Major-Generai  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States.and  captured 
York  in  Canada,  and  Fort  George,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Niagara.  He  was  subsequently 
recalled  from  the  frontier  and  put  in  command  of  New  York  City.  In  the  summer  of 
1822,  he  was  appointed  minister  plenipotentiary  to  Portugal,  but  after  an  absence  of 
two  years  was  recalled  at  his  own  request,  and  retired  to  private  life.  General  Dear- 
born was  a  man  of  large  size,  gentlemanly  deportment,  and  one  of  the  bravest  and 
most  gallant  men  of  his  time.  He  died  at  Roxbury,  Mass.,June  6th,1829,aged  78  years. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  153 

they  reached  the  shore  of  Cayuga  Lake  at  a  very  pretty 
town  consisting  of  ten  houses,  which,  with  a  considera- 
ble quantity  of  corn,  was  destroyed.  A  mile  south  of 
this  point  was  another  town  called  Skanagutenate  ;  going 
a  mile  farther  south,  they  found  a  third  village,  de- 
scribed by  Norris  as  a  new  town,  consisting  of  nine 
houses,  and  a  mile  beyond,  they  found  a  large  house,  all 
which  they  burned,  and  Dearborn  encamped  for  the  night 
about  two  miles  above  the  large  house.  Counting  the  three 
wigwams  a  village,  as  both  Dearborn  and  Norris  do,  and 
the  results  of  this  day' s  work  were  the  destruction  of  four 
towns  and  numerous  corn  fields,  and  a  march  estimated 
at  seventeen  miles.  The  relative  situation  of  these  three 
towns  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake  was  very  similar  to 
that  of  the  three  Cayugas  on  the  opposite  side.  The 
first  little  cluster  of  wigwams  was  located  near  the  reser- 
vation line  on  the  small  stream  that  enters  the  Seneca 
river  above  Seneca  Falls,  in  the  town  of  Fayette.  Skan- 
agutenate, the  central  one  of  the  three,  was  situated  on 
the  bank  of  Canoga  Creek,  the  second,  the  one  unnamed, 
being  a  mile  north,  and  the  one  called  JSfewtown  on  the 
Di singer  farm,  a  mile  south.  This  is  a  point  hardly 
second  in  historical  interest  to  Cayuga  itself,  and  its 
destruction  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  Cayuga  nation. 
While  it  is  not  germane  to  my  topic  to  discuss  questions 
on  general  history  outside  of  this  campaign,  it  may  be 
allowed  me  to  say,  that,  as  the  birth-place  of  Red  Jacket, 
the  great  Iroquois  orator,  and  opposite  the  burial-place 
of  Queen  Esther,  of  Wyoming  notoriety,  this  point, 
Canoga,  must  possess  peculiar  interest  to  the  antiquarian, 
and  the  student  of  Indian  history. 

After  marching  five  miles  the  next  day,  the  detach- 
ment came  to  the  ruins  of  a  town  burned  by  the  pack- 
horse  drivers  connected  with  Colonel  Gansevoort's 
Regiment.  Beatty,  under  date  of  September  6th,  says: 
"This  evening  came  up  four  or  five  pack-horsemen,  who 


154  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

lost  themselves  yesterday,  and  told  us  that  they  took  the 
wrong  path,  and  went  on  till  near  night  when  they  came 
to  a  small  Indian  town  on  Cayuga  Lake,  which  the  Indians 
had  abandoned.  They  then  found  out  their  mistake  and 
came  to  us  as  soon  as  possible,  after  burning  the  houses. 
They  likewise  got  a  very  fine  horse,  and  a  great  number 
of  peaches  and  apples  which  they  brought  to  camp." 
Dr.  Campfield  adds,  they  were  Colonel  Gansevoort'  s  ser- 
vants. This  town,  Dearborn  calls  Swah-ya  wa-nah,  and 
adds  "a  half  mile  distant  found  a  large  field  of  corn  and 
three  houses.  \Ve  gathered  the  corn  out  and  burnt  it  in 
the  houses."  This  town  was  built  on  the  banks  of  a 
stream  which  passes  through  the  farm  of  Mr.  Edward 
Dean,  opposite  to  Aurora. 

The  detachment  pushed  on  about  five  miles  where  they 
found  a  hut  occupied  by  three  squaws  and  a  crippled 
Indian  lad.  Two  of  the  squaws  were  taken  captive,  the 
others  were  left.  Three  miles  beyond  this,  they  found 
another  hut  and  a  field  of  corn  ;  both  were  destroyed  and 
the  party  encamped  four  miles  farther  up  the  lake,  twelve 
miles  from  Swah-  ya- wa-nah,  and  seventeen  from  the  last 
encampment. 

The  march  on  the  23d  was  one  of  great  fatigue.  Setting 
out  at  sunrise,  without  any  path,  or  map,  or  guide,  no 
one  of  the  party  having  ever  been  there  before,  they 
advanced  over  what  both  journalists  call  '*a  horribly 
rough  country"  which  was  so  thickly  covered  with  bushes 
that  the  men  with  great  difficulty  pushed  their  way 
through  them.  After  travelling  about  nine  miles,  they 
found  themselves  at  the  end  of  a  long  cape,  now  known 
as  Goodwin's  Point  or  Taghanic,  which  they  had  mistaken 
for  the  end  of  the  Lake.  The  detachment  then  struck 
off  two  or  three  miles  to  the  west,  and  after  marching  by 
point  of  compass,  about  eight  miles  farther,  came  to  the 
end  of  the  Lake  and  encamped. 

On  the  24th,  Dearborn  put  his  force  in  motion  at  sun- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  155 

rise,  and  soon  struck  an  old  path  which  led  to  some  huts 
and  corn  fields.  Supposing  that  he  was  near  an  important 
Indian  town,  which  was  reported  to  be  at  the  head  of  the 
Lake,  he  divided  his  force  into  small  parties  and  sent 
them  in  different  directions  to  look  for  it.  In  their  search 
several  scattered  houses  and  corn  fields  were  discovered 
and  destroyed.  At  length  the  town  was  found  situated 
on  the  Inlet  creek,  about  three  miles  from  the  Lake. 
The  town  consisted  of  twenty-five  houses,  and,  says 
Norris,  is  called  Co-re-or-go-nel,  who  adds  that  "it  is  the 
capital  of  a  small  nation  or  tribe  called  -  — ."  Major 
Grant,  who  was  in  Butler's  detachment  and  reached  this 
town  the  next  day  after  Dearborn,  calls  the  place  De  Ho 
Hiss  Kanadai,  and  says  it  was  situated  on  the  west  side 
of  the  stream  in  a  beautiful  valley,  and  the  creek  was 
deep  enough  for  canoes  to  pass  from  the  town  to  the  lake 
at  any  time.  This  site  of  this  town  has  been  identified 
by  General  Clark,  at  a  point  of  rising  ground,  south  of 
the  school-house  on  the  farm  of  Mr,  James  Flemming, 
and  opposite  to  Buttermilk  Falls.  Dearborn's  party 
was  from  nine  o'  clock  in  the  morning  until  sunset,  in  de- 
stroying the  crops  and  orchards  about  this  place.  The 
next  day  some  of  Colonel  Butler's  men  found  here  the 
horse  of  the  Kev.  Dr.  Kirkland,  the  missionary  to  the 
Oneidas,  and  one  of  the  chaplains  to  the  expedition. 

The  locality  of  this  town  is  one  of  great  interest  to  the 
antiquarian.  In  1753,  a  remnant  of  a  nation  of  the  Cataw- 
bas  called  Christannas,  having  been  nearly  exterminated 
by  the  Iroquois,  were  planted  here  by  the  Cayugas. 
Soon  after,  a  party  of  Monseys  and  the  remnant  of  the 
nation  of  Tutelos,  were  allowed  to  settle  here.  In  1765, 
the  Cayuga  Sachem  desired  to  remove  the  Christian  In- 
dians at  Wyalusing,  to  the  head  of  Cayuga  Lake,  which 
he  was  induced  to  forego  at  the  earnest  persuasion  of  the 
missionaries.  But  now,  as  for  nearly  a  century  past, 
over  their  buried  bones  and  slumbering  ashes,  the  march 


156  '  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

of  the  white  man's  civilization  goes  sweeping  by  ;  and  the 
glimmering  water  of  the  Lake  over  which  the  Cayuga 
skimmed  in  his  birchen  canoe,  are  whitened  by  the  sails 
of  the  white  man's  commerce. 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  25th,  Colonel  Dearborn  set 
out  to  join  the  main  army,  and  by  taking  a  due  west 
course  reached  Catharine's  about  four  o'clock  p.  M.  Find- 
ing the  army  had  passed  that  place,  his  men,  though 
wearied  by  the  difficult  march,  pushed  on  six  miles 
farther  and  encamped  on  the  edge  of  the  swamp,  and  the 
next  day  reached  the  main  army. 

General  Sullivan  thus  reports  concerning  this  detach- 
ment. "Colonel  Dearborn  burnt  in  his  route,  six  towns, 
which  include  one  that  had  before  been  partly  destroyed 
by  a  small  party,  destroying  at  the  same  time  large  quan- 
tities of  corn.  He  took  an  Indian  lad  and  three  women, 
prisoners ;  one  of  the  women  being  very  ancient,  and  the 
lad  a  cripple,  he  left  them  and  brought  on  the  other  two, 
and  joined  the  army  on  the  evening  of  the  26th."  The 
six  towns  destroyed,  were  the  four  burned  the  first  day, 
together  with  Swahyawana,  and  Co-re-or-go-nel. 

The  main  army  which  we  left  near  the  Seneca  river  on 
the  21st,  reached  Kanawaholla  on  the  24th,  where  Cap- 
tain Reid  had  collected  considerable  stores  of  provisions 
and  liquor,  which  were  liberally  distributed  among  the 
men,  and  the  25th  was  given  as  a  day  of  rejoicing  over 
the  news  of  the  alliance  of  Spain  with  the  United  States, 
and  over  the  success  of  the  expedition.  Colonel  Jenkins 
says,  "Five  oxen  were  barbacued,  and  a  great  plenty,  of 
liquor  to  drink."  In  General  Hand's  Brigade,  thirteen 
fires  and  thirteen  candles  were  kept  burning,  and  thirteen 
toasts  were  drank.  A  salute  of  thirteen  cannon  and  a 
feu-de-joie  were  fired  at  evening.  While  waiting  for  the 
several  detachments  of  his  army  to  come  in,  Sullivan  sent 
Colonel  Courtlandt  and  Captain  Simon  Spalding,  each 
with  a  force,  up  the  Chemung,  who  destroyed  everything 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  157 

as  far  as  Painted  Post. 

Colonel  Butler's  detachment  joined  the  army  on  the 
28th,  and  next  day  it  set  out  for  Tioga,  where  on  the  30th, 
Colonel  Shreeve  received  them  with  demonstrations  of  joy, 
amid  thunders  of  artillery,  lively  strains  of  music  by 
drum  and  fife  and  by  Proctor's  regimental  band.  After 
feasting  both  officers  and  men,  and  pouring  out  pretty 
free  libations  to  Bacchus,  the  whole  was  concluded  with 
an  Indian  dance  under  the  direction  of  an  Oneida  Chief, 
led  off  by  General  Hand.  One  of  the  journals  says,  the 
clothes  of  the  men  were  torn  into  shreds  by  the  bushes 
and  brambles  through  which,  for  more  than  a  month, 
they  had  been  marching,  and  observes,  that  as  the  men 
joined  in  the  dance,  with  their  heads  powdered  with 
flour,  their  faces  bedaubed  with  paint,  and  their  fringed 
and  shredded  rifle  frocks  streaming  in  the  wind,  they 
presented  an  appearance  at  once  weird  and  grotesque. 
One  of  the  narrators  of  the  story  says:  "every  body  laugh- 
ed ;  even  our  grave  chaplain  could  not  repress  a  smile." 

In  this  expedition,  the  army  had  burned  forty  Indian 
villages,  destroyed  200,000  bushels  of  corn,  besides  thou- 
sands of  fruit  trees  and  great  quantities  of  beans  and 
potatoes.  It  might  be  said  to  be  literally  true  of  this 
army,  that  "the  land  was  as  the  Garden  of  Eden  before 
them,  and  behind  them  a  desolate  wilderness." 

On  the  3d  of  October  Fort  Sullivan  was  demolished, 
and  on  the  4th  the  army  set  out  for  Wyoming,  which  was 
reached  on  the  7th.  Notwithstanding  the  severities  of 
the  campaign,  the  total  loss  was  less  than  forty  men, 
or  one  per  cent,  of  the  entire  force. 

Sullivan  left  Wyoming  October  10th,  and  reached 
Easton  the  15th,  where  a  thanksgiving  service  was  held, 
and  then  the  army  hasted  to  join  that  of  Washington. 
Congress  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  in  which  the  officers  and 
men  were  complimented  in  the  highest  terms,  and  Wash- 
ington did  not  hesitate  to  express  his  satisfaction  with 


158  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

the  management  of  the  campaign,  and  its  results,  in  the 
most  flattering  language. 

The  expedition  was  more  disastrous  to  the  Indians  than 
at  first  might  appear.  They  returned  to  their  blackened 
homes  and  wasted  cornfields,  and  looked  with  despair 
upon  the  waste  and  ruin  before  them.  They  now  began 
to  feel  the  iron  they  had  so  ruthlessly  thrust  into  the 
bosom  of  others.  Mary  Jemison  says  there  was  nothing 
left,  not  enough  to  keep  a  child.  Again  they  wended 
their  way  to  Niagara,  where  huts  were  built  for  them 
around  the  fort.  The  winter  following  was  the  coldest 
ever  known,  and  prevented"  the  Indians  going  on  their 
winter  hunt.  Cooped  up  in  their  little  huts  and  obliged 
to  subsist  on  salted  provisions,  the  scurvy  broke  out 
amongst  them,  and  hundreds  of  them  died.  Those  the 
sword  had  spared,  the  pestilence  destroyed. 

The  power  of  the  Iroquois  was  broken.  That  great  con- 
federation whose  influence  had  once  been  so  potent, crum- 
bled under  the  iron  heel  of  the  invader,  and  the  nation 
which  had  made  so  many  tremble,  itself  quailed  before 
the  white  man's  steel.  It  is  true  that  as  long;  as  the  war 
continued,  they  kept  up  their  depredations,  but  it  was  in 
squads  of  five  or  six,  seldom  as  many  as  twenty.  We 
have  no  repetitions  of  Wyoming  or  Cherry  Valley.  It 
was  a  terrible  blow,  but  one  which  they  brought  upon 
themselves  by  their  own  perfidy  and  treachery  and  cruelty. 
The  sacking  of  so  many  homes,  the  destruction  of  so  much 
that  was  valuable.awakens  in  every  civilized  heart  the  sen- 
timent of  pity  for  their  loss,  but  the  act  was  as  justifiable 
as  that  which  slays  the  assassin  at  your  door,  or  the  man 
who  is  applying  the  torch  to  your  dwelling. 

Colonel  Stone  remarks  :  "With  the  exception  of  New- 
town,  the  achievements  of  the  army  in  battle  were  not 
great.  But  it  Had  scoured  a  broad  extent  of  country, 
and  laid  more  towns  in  ashes  than  had  ever  been  de- 
stroyed on  the  continent  before.  The  red  men  were 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  159 

driven  from  their  beautiful  country — their  habitations 
left  in  ruins,  their  fields  laid  waste,  their  orchards  up" 
rooted,  and  their  altars  and  the  tombs  of  their  fathers 
overthrown." 

To  the.ISew  England  troops,  who  had  been  accustomed 
to  the  rocky  soil  and  the  steep  hillsides  of  their  native 
States,  these  broad  and  fertile  valleys  seemed  like  an- 
other Eden,  and  no  sooner  had  war  furled  her  crimson 
banners,  than  these  hardy  sons  of  the  east,  shouldered 
knapsack  and  axe,  and  again  bent  their  footsteps  toward 
these  beautiful  valleys  ;  here  they  built  their  homes  and 
reared  their  children,  planted  the  institutions  of  liberty 
and  religion  and  builded  an  empire  whose  exhaustless 
wealth  and  tireless  enterprise  and  increasing  grandeur, 
make  it  the  crowning  glory  of  this  Empire  State,  and  a 
living  example  of  her  glorious  motto.  Excelsior. 


SUPPLEMENTARY  NOTE  BY  REV.  DAVID  CRAFT. 

In  General  Sullivan's  official  reports,  he  claimed  to 
have  lost  from  all  causes,  less  than  forty  men, and  to  have 
destroyed  forty  towns,  fourteen  of  which  were  destroyed 
by  Clinton  and  himself,  prior  to  the  30th  of  August. 
This  statement  has  been  doubted  by  some  critics,and  Sul- 
livan's veracity  in  his  official  report  virtually  questioned. 
A  careful  collation  of  the  journals  gives  the  following  re- 
sults : 

LOSS   OF    MEN. 

One,  a  boatman,  drowned,  a  soldier  died  at  Vanderlip's 
and  Sergeant  Martin  Johnson  at  Wyalusing,  all  August 
5th.  At  Tioga,  Jabez  Elliott  was  killed  by  Indians,  Au- 
gust loth;  Philip  Helter,  August  17th,  and  Captain 
Benjamin  Kimball. accidentally,  August  23d.  Seven  were 
killed  at  Chernung,  August  12th;  three  were  killed  and 
five  died  of  wounds  received  at  the  battle  of  Newtown; 


160  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL. 

seventeen  perished  at  Groveland, including  Corporal  Cal- 
houn  and  Hanyerry;  Lieutenant  Boydarid  Sergeant  Par- 
ker at  Little  Beard's  town,  making  a  total  of  forty. 
Besides,  one  soldier  died  at  Wyoming,  and  one  rifleman 
was  killed  while  Clinton  was  at  the  foot  of  OtsegoLake. 

TOWNS   DESTROYED. 

The  following  are  the  fourteen  towns  destroyed  previ- 
ous to  the  31st  of  August,  with  the  dates  of  their  destruc- 
tion: 

1.  Newtychanning,  at  the  mouth  of  Sugar  Creek,  Au- 
gust 9th. 

2.  Old  Chemung,  near  present  town,  August  13th. 

3.  New  Chemung,  August  13th, 

4.  Newtown,  August  31st. 

5.  Small  village  at  the  fortifications,  August  89th. 

6.  New  Buildings  on  Baldwin's  Creek,  August  29th. 

7.  A  small  village  on  Seely  Creek,  August  30th. 

8.  Albout,  a  Scotch  Tory  settlement,  five  miles  above 
Unadilla,  August  12th,  by  Clinton. 

9.  Shawhiangto,near  present  Windsor,  Broome  county, 
August  17th, 

10.  Ingaren  or  Tuscarora,  at  Great  Bend,  August  17th. 

11.  Otsiningo,four  miles  north  of  Binghamton,  August 
18th. 

12.  Choconut  or  Chugnut,  August  19th,  by  Poor. 

13.  Owegy,  near  present  Owego,  August  19th. 

14.  Manekatawangum  or  Red  Bank,  near  Barton,  N.Y. 

Subsequently  the  following  towns  were  destroyed: 

15.  Middletown,  3  miles  above  Newtown,  August  31st. 

16.  Kanawaholla,  site  of  Elmira,  August  31st. 

17.  Runonvea,near  Big  Flats,  August  31st,Colonel  Day- 
ton. 

18.  Sheoquaga,  Havana,  September  1st. 

19.  Peach  Orchard,  September  3d. 

20.  Condawhaw,  North  Hector,  September  4th. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  .    161 

21.  Kendaia,  September  5th. 

22.  Butler's  Buildings, at  the  foot  of  Seneca  Lake, Sep- 
tember 7th. 

23.  Kanadasaga,  near  present'  Geneva,  September  7th. 

24.  Gothseungquean,  (Kershong),  on  the  west  side  of 
Seneca  Lake,  September  8th. 

25.  Skoi  yase,  now  Waterloo,  September  8th. 

26.  Kanandaigua,  September  10th. 

27.  Haneyaye,  September  llth. 

28.  Kanaghsaws,  September  13th. 

29.  Gathtsegwarohare,  September  13th. 

30.  Genesee  Castle,  September  15th. 

Besides  these, six  towns  were  destroyed  by  Colonel 
Dearborn,  and  five  by  Colonel  Butler. 


JUDGE  MILLEE,  upon  the  conclusion  of  the  Historical 
Address,  introduced  the  POET  or  THE  DAY,  the  REV. 
I> WIGHT  WILLIAMS,  who  pronounced  the  following 

:POEM:. 

• 

SULLIVAN   CENTENNIAL. 

We  walk  to-day  the  halls  of  story, 

'Mid  pictures  of  the  olden  time, 
And  voices,  from  an  ancient  glory, 

That  charm  us  as  a  silver  chime ;  , 

The  old  and  new  join  loving  hands, 
The  past  before  the  present  stands ; 
The  ages  give  each  other  greeting, 

And  years  recall  their  old  renown, 
Their  deeds  of  chivalry  repeating 

That  won  for  them  a  golden  crown. 


162  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

The  wheels  that  roll  in  fire  and  thunder,' 

And  bear  us  on  witn  startling  speed, 
Battle  the  dust  of  nations  under 

The  flowers  of  forest,  lawn  and  mead ; 
The  great  departed  still  are  near, 
The  spirit  of  the  past  is  here ; 
For  where  we  tread,  the  old  Mound-Builders 

Looked  forward  through  the  mists  of  time, 
As  we  look  back ;  the  scene  bewilders, 

And  all  the  distance  seems  sublime. 

But  where  a  hundred  years  have  lifted 

Their  stones  of  memory  on  the  road, 
We  pause,  in  honor  of  the  gifted, 

Who  wrought  for  liberty  and  God  ; 
We  tread  the  dust  of  history, 
And  build  thereon  our  altars  free ; — 
From  stage  to  stage  the  world  ascending 

Marks  all  its  steps  with  blood  and  fire ; 
And  God  and  truth  with  wrong  contending, 

Are  working  out  the  world's  desire. 

A  hundred  golden-hued  Septembers 

Have  blessed  the  weary  hands  of  toil, 
Since  in  the  heat  of  smoking  embers 

A  victor  trod  his  path  of  spoil ; 

Not  for  the  love  of  war  he  went 
With  sword,  and  torch,  and  armament, 
But  wild,  the  Iroquois  had  lighted 

A  thousand  fires  of  hate  and  scorn, 
From  Cherry  Valley's  homes  affrighted, 

To  far  Wyoming's  vale  forlorn. 

Then  Washington,  with  martial  ardor, 

Called  Sullivan  in  haste  to  go, 
And  cross  the  Indian  s  forest  border 

And  lay  his  fields  and  orchards  low ; 
Till  charging  Brant  in  ambuscade, 
He  fled  from  Newtown's  fray  dismayed ; 
And  bold  Cornplanter  swiftly  hasted 

To  warn  his  villagers  of  scath, 
And  tell  of  wigwams  burned  and  wasted 

Along  the  victor's  blazing  path. 

From  Catharine  Montour's  castle  burning. 

So  near  She-qua-gah's  wild  cascade, 
Defenseless  Indian  mothers  turning, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  163 

Fled  to  the  forest  depths  afraid ; 

From  lake  to  lake  the  shock  of  fear 
Had  startled  all  the  atmosphere; 
And  darting  through  the  woodland  thickets, 

The  skulking  warriors  made  retreat, 
And  listened  for  the  advancing  pickets, 
As  on  they  came  with  flying  feet. 

For  ah  !  the  Iroquois  had  broken 

The  promise  of  their  early  trust; 
And  violate,  the  false  word  spoken 

Had  brought  their  sachems  to  the  dust ; 
It  was  the  cruel  fate  of  war 
And  left  its  blight  on  fields  afar; 
Charred  heaps  but  marked  each  Indian  village. 

And  there  was  deep  and  bitter  wail ; 
The  harvest  gone  of  scanty  tillage, 

And  want'was  on  the  warrior's  trail. 

Strong  was  that  wild  confederation — 

The  grand  republic  of  the  woods — 
That  moved  the  tribes  to  consternation 

In  far-off  forest  solitudes ; 

They  skimmed  across  the  lakes  of  blue, 
And  from  the  depths  the  salmon  drew; 
They  twanged  the  arrows  lightly  feathered, 

And  pierced  the  timid  flying  fawn  ; 
And  at  the  corn  dance  weirdly  gathered, 

They  praised  their  war-chiefs  dead  and  gone. 

A  tear,  a  tear  for  stately  Logan, 

And  Skanandoa,  worn  and  old, 
Whose  war-cry,  like  the  Highland  slogan, 

Had  summoned  war-chiefs  strong  and  bold ; 
Speak  low  Ked  Jacket's  classic  name, 
The  Cicero  of  Indian  fame ; 
And  where  the  tablets  tell  their  story, 

With  little  cost  of  art's  designs. 
We  may  not  blush,  but  own  their  glory, 

And  praise  them  at  their  lowly  shrines. 

Ah,  nevermore  their  councils  gather, 

With  war  whoop  shrill  or  pipe  of  peace ; 
Bed  children  of  a  great  All-Father, 
We've  seen  their  watch  fires  fade  and  cease ; 
No  more  Cayuga's  silver  sheen, 
Or  Seneca  with  depth  serene, 
11 


164  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

Invite  the  dainty  Indian  maiden 
To  muse  beside  the  singing  waves ; 

The  breezes  seem  with  sorrow  laden. 
Above  the  dust  of  sleeping  braves. 

And  when  the  soldiers  in  their  marches 

Advanced  on  that  September  morn, 
And  pushed  alonii  through  woodland  arches, 

Or  passed  the  fields  of  yellow  corn; 
They  caught  a  vision  far-away, 
A  dream  of  peace, — a  happy  day, 
When  they  should  drop  their  lurid  torches, 

And  build  along  these  lovely  slopes, 
And  sit  at  home  in  their  own  porches, 

Where  died  in  smoke  the  Ked  Man's  hopes. 

They  passed  along  the  rocky  ledges 
Above  the  gorges  deep  and  wild ; 

And  dreamed  along  the  water  edges, 
With  nook  and  glen  and  cove  beguiled  ; 

And  thought  of  sloping  farms,  that  yet 
Should  wear  the  golden  coronet 
Of  coming,  far-off,  glad  Septembers, 
When  they  should  fear  no  foeman's  scorn, 

To  leave  the  waste  of  dying  embers, 
Along  their  fields  of  ripening  corn. 

They  tell  us  in  our  nation's  story, 

That  first  to  lead  the  patriot  van, 
In  all  our  yoars  of  martial  glory, 

Was  this,  our  hero,  Sullivan ; 

When  at  old  Portsmouth  by  the  sea 
He  wrought  a  deed  of  chivalry; 
And  took  a  store  of  ammunition, 

And  hid  it  "neatb  the  pulpit  stairs 
Of  Durham  church,  in  safe  condition, 

To  answer  holy  patriot  prayers. 

At  Bunker  Hill  they  used  the  powder — 

At  Bunker  Hill  of  Yankee  fame ; 
And  so  the  blast  of  war  grew  louder, 
And  wider  spread  the  patriot  flame, 
'Till  Independence  Bell  rang  out 
The  people's  grand  defiant  shout; 
And  face  to  face  across  the  Atlantic 

George  Washington  and  George  the  Third, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  165 

Stood  in  the  might  of  arms  gigantic, 
'Till  all  the  lands  in  wonder  heard. 

But  peace  came  down  on  loving  pinions; 

The  Lion  sought  his  royal  lair ; 
The  Eagle  in  his  own  dominions 

Breathed  free  his  native  mountain  air; 
The  young  Eepublic,  like  a  bride, 
Sat  in  her  beauty  glorified, 
And  tossing  out  her  herald  banner 

The  breezes  caught  it  with  delight, 
From  Plymouth  Rock  to  broad  Savannah, 

•With  folds  of  Bed  and  Blue  and  White. 

A  hundred  years — her  footstep  quickens ; 

Her  next  Centennial  height  she  tries ; 
The  gold  dust  on  her  banner  thickens 

Above  the  smoke  of  sacrifice ; 

Up  from  the  stormy  years  she  comes, 
With  blast  of  trumpets,  roll  of  drums; 
The  King  of  Kings  is  her  defender, 

She  wears  His  star  upon  her  breast ; 
And  thronging  chariots  attend  her, 

The  joy  and  beauty  of  the  West. 

What  if  the  vision  grows  romantic? 

We  hold  the  promise  of  the  seers, 
The  Mayflower  trod  the  wild  Atlantic 

To  drop  the  germ  of  Freedom's  y ears ; 
A  hundred  times  the  ripened  corn 
Has  filled  up  plenty's  golden  horn, 
Since  Indian  hate  and  sconi  of  Tory, 

Were  changed  to  long  and  tranquil  peace ; 
The  heroes  live  in  grateful  story, 

Nor  shall  their  fame  chivalric  cease. 

Cornplanter's  dynasty  is  ended; 

No  scion  of  Bed  Jacket  reigns ; 
The  last  lone  Seneca  has  wended 

His  way  to  far-off  western  plains ; 

The  wavelets  of  these  lakes  that  surge 
But  sing  a  melancholy  dirge, 
In  memory  of  the  vanished  races, 

That  brought  their  captors  from  afar, 
Where  Art  now  rules  with  royal  graces, 

Beneath  a  new  benignant  star. 


166  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL. 

Here  where  the  blue  lakes  gleaming  cluster, 

And  highlands  look  in  beauty  down, 
For  nobler  warfare  let  us  mus  er, 

Where  Freedom  sits  with  golden  crown ; 
Not  in  the  path  of  blood  and  fire 
For  long  renown  do  we  aspire ; 
We  build  above  the  mounds  that  moulder, 

We  beautify  the  warrior's  trail, 
The  world  grows  grand,  while  growing  older, 

And  peace  is  here,  all  hail !  all  hail ! 

The  creat  Eepublic  lives ; 

And  still  our  Father,  God, 
His  royal  favor  gives, 

And  guides  us  by  his  rod; 
A  hundred  years  of  prayer 

Have  brought  us  bravely  on, 
Hail !  manly,  strong  and  fair 

The  land  of  Washington. 

A  hundred  years,  Huzza !  we  sing  their  past  renown; 
And  long  may  Freedom's  star  our  heights  of  azure  crown. 

Speed  on,  O  Union  great ! 

And  when  a  hundred  years 
Shall  come  and  go  elate, 

May  Freedom's  loving  cheers 
Be  heard  on  land  and  sea, 

And  God  shall  have  the  praise 
Of  nations  great  and  free, 

Through  earth's  on-coming  days. 
A  hundred  years,  Huzza !  we  sing  their  past  renown; 
And  long  may  Freedom's  star  our  heights  of  azure  crown. 

Take  victor  palms  and  sing 

Beneath  our  spreading  dome : 
Let  all  the  arches  ring 

Within  our  temple  home ; 
This  is  our  jubilee ; 

Hosanna  for  the  past ; 
And  long  as  time  shall  be 

Reign  Freedom  to  the  last. 

A  hundred  yeai-s,  Huzza !  we  sing  their  past  renown ; 
And  long  may  Freedom's  star  our  heights  of  azure  crown. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION:.  167 


LETTERS     RECEIVED 


FROM 


The  following  letters  were  received  by  the  Committee 
Invitations  of  the  Sullivan  Centennial,  and  by  the 
Waterloo  Re-union  Committee,  from  invited  guests. 
Most  of  them  appeared  in  the  very  interesting  number 
of  the  Waterloo  Observer,  issued  on  the  morning  of  the 
Celebration — and  were  not,  therefore,  read  during  the 
exercises  at  the  grand  stand  : 

FROM    HIS    EXCELLENCY,    LUCIUS    ROBINSON, 

GOVERNOK    OF    NEW   YOEK. 


EXECUTIVE  CHAMBER, 

ALBANY,  'JN.  Y.,  August  30th,  1879. 


Dear  Sir: — The  Governor  is  in  receipt  of  your  kind 
ivitation  to  attend  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General 
Sullivan's  campaign  against  the  Indians  of  Western 
New  York,  to  be  held  at  Waterloo,  on  September  3rd. 

He  directs  me  to  return  to  you  and  your  committee,, 
his  most  cordial  acknowledgments  for  your  courtesy  in 
forwarding  the  invitation,  and  to  convey  his  expression 


168  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

of  sincere  regret,  that  public  engagements  for  the  date 
fixed,  will  prevent  his  acceptance. 

Cordially  Yours, 

DAVID  C.  ROBINSON, 

Private  Secretary. 


FROM  HON.  EDWARD  SULLIVAN. 

BOSTON,  MASS.,  September  1st,  1879. 

Dear  Sir : — At  the  last  moment,  I  find  it  impossible  for 
me  to  attend  your  Centennial  Celebration  on  the  third 
instant,  owing  to  ill  health,  and  press  of  business. 

I  have  'been  looking  forward,  with  a  great  deal  of 
pleasure,  to  the  time  when  I  should  meet  you  and  thank 
you  and  your  associates,  for  the  honor  paid  to  my  great- 
grand-father.  Although  obliged  to  abandon  that  pleas- 
ure, you  will  have  with  you,  my  most  earnest  wishes,  for 
the  success  of  your  Celebration. 

With  many  thanks  for  your  kindness  and  with  regrets 
that  I  am  unable  to  be  with  you, 

I  remain,  yours  very  truly, 

E.  SULLIVAN. 


FROM  CHIEF  JUSTICE  CHURCH, 
Of  the  New  Y  ork  Court  of  Appeals. 

ALBION,  July  28th,  1879. 

Dear  Sir :— I  beg  to  thank  you  and  your  committee  for 
the  honor  of  an  invitation  to  the  Centennial  Celebration 
of  General  Sullivan's  Campaign  against  the  Indians  in 
1779,  but  official  duties  will  probably  prevent  my  attend- 
ance. 

The  reminiscences  revived,  and  the  patriotic  impulses 
inspired, by  this  and  similar  celebrations,  throughout  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  169 

country,  cannot  but  exert  a  beneficial  influence  upon  the 
feelings  and  sentiments  of  the  American  people. 

They  tend  to  keep  in  grateful  remembrance  the  heroic 
struggles  of  those  who  achieved  our  independence, and  to 
insure  a  more  tenacious  adherence  to  the  principles  which 
lie  at  the  foundation  of  constitutional  liberty. 

Truly  yours, 

S.  E.  CHURCH. 


FROM  HON.    CLARK SON  N.  POTTER. 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  September  1st,  1879. 

Gentlemen: — I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  in- 
vitation to  be  present  at    the   Centennial  Celebration  of 
reneral  Sullivan's  campaign  against  the  Indians, and  his 
march  through  Seneca  County. 

[  greatly  regret  that  it  will  not  be  in  my  power  to  as- 
sist at  this  commemoration  of  the  patriotic  services  of 
the  brave  men  of  the  Revolution. 

We  do  well  to  commemorate   the  days  of  danger  and 

ial  and  suffering  in  which,  under  circumstances  very 
Lifferent  from  our  own,our  fathers  laid  the  foundation  of 
covernment. 

We  shall  do  well  also  to  realize  how  wisely  they  build- 
id;  to  imitate  their  care  and  thoughtfulness  and  virtue; 

id  under  the  changed  conditions  of  the  times  to  apply 
leir  principles  to  existing  circumstances. 

Wishing  your  interesting  celebration  the  fullest  suc- 
cess, I  remain, gentlemen,  your  obedient  servant, 

CLARKSON  N.  POTTER. 


FROM  HON.  ERASTUS  BROOKS. 

WEST  NEW  BRIGHTON,  STATEN  ISLAND,  | 
August  25th,  1879.      f 

Gentlemen: — It  would  give  me  very  great  pleasure  to  at- 


170  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

tend  the  Celebration  at  Waterloo, on  the  third  of  Septem- 
ber, but  a  previous  engagement  at  Elmira  and  Newtown 
will  consume  all  the  spare  time  I  can  command. 

The  Sullivan  Campaign  was  the  most  interesting  event 
of  the  year  1779,  and  has  caused  more  comment  than 
almost  any  other  transaction  of  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. 

It  is  eminently  proper  to  commemorate  the  event  in 
your  county  and  town ;  and  I  sincerely  hope  your  Cen- 
tennial Celebration  will  prove  one  of  those  landmarks 
which,  while  it  will  bind  the  present  to  the  past  in  hos- 
pitable memories,  will  also  foreshadow  a  happy  and  pros- 
perous future  for  your  own  county,  and  for  our  common 
state  and  country.  Very  cordially  yours, 

ERASTUS  BROOKS. 


FROM  HON.  RICHARD  0' GORMAN. 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  August  26,  1879. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — Please  accept  my  acknowledgment  of 
your  kind  invitation  to  be  present  at  the  Centennial  Cel- 
ebration of  General  Sullivan's  campaign  in  1779. 

I  had  indulged  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  join 
with  you  in  commemorating  the  gallant  deeds  of  patriots 
of  old,  whose  services  we  are  too  apt  to  forget. 

To  a  people  that  lives  so  much  in  an  active,  eager,bust- 
ling  present,  as  we  do,  an  occasional  reminder  that  our 
country  had  a  heroic  past,  in  which  men  lived  simple, 
brave  and  unselfish  lives— is  especially  valuable. 

But  engagements,  from  which  I  cannot  disentangle  my- 
self, hold  me  here, and  I  must  content  myself  with  wish- 
ing you  all  possible  success. 

Believe  me  to  be,  my  dear  sir,  yours  truly, 

RICHARD  O' GORMAN. 


OF  STJLLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  171 

FROM  GENERAL  JAMES  McQUADE. 

Grand  Commander  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Department  of  New  York. 

NEW  YORK  CITY,  September  1,  1879. 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  have  just  returned  from  a  week's  ab- 
sence, and  find  your  invitation  to  attend  the  Sullivan  Cen- 
tennial Celebration. 

I  regret  that  it  will  not  be  possible  for  me  to  attend.  I 
should  be  very  glad  to  participate  in  any  celebration  cal- 
culated to  recall  the  memory  of  the  sturdy  revolutionary 
heroes,  whose  achievements  are  apt  to  be  overlooked  in 
the  stupendous  military  operations  of  the  recent  war. 

In  our  admiration  for  the  luxuriant  oak,  we  are  d.pt  to 
forget  the  acorn. 

With  thanks  for  your  invitation,  believe  me,  truly 
yours, 

JAS.  McQUADE. 


FROM  BENSON  J.  LOSSING,  THE  HISTORIAN. 
Author  of  the   "Field  Book  of  the   Revolution,"  &c. 

"THE  RIDGE,"  DOVEE  PLAINS,  N.  Y.,  ) 

August  9th.  1879.      j 

My  Dear  Sir: — I  have  just  returned  home,  after  an  ab- 
sence for  some  time, and  find  here  your  kind  invitation  to- 
participate  with  you  and  the  citizens  of  Seneca  County, 
in  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General  Sullivan's  cam- 
paign against  the  Indians  of  Western  New  York. 

I  cordially  thank  you  for  the  honor  of  the  in  citation  f 
and  regret  that  imperative  engagements  at  that  time  will 
permit  my  being  with  you  on  that  interesting  occasion,, 
only  in  spirit  and  sympathy. 

It  is  our  duty,  as  well  as  privilege,  to  take  proper  oc- 


172  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

casions  to  recall  and  hold  in  reverent  and  grateful  mem- 
ory, the  deeds  of  men  who  gained  for  us  and  our  posterity, 
the  blessings  of  free  institutions. 

The  campaign  of  Sullivan  seemed  to  be  a  necessity,  as 
a  scourge  for  great  offenders,  and  to  prevent  a  repetition 
of  their  crimes;  and  bravely  and  patriotically  did  his  fol- 
lowers apply  that  scourge. 

But  unfortunately, it  fell  most  fearfully  upon  the  igno- 
rant pagans,  who  were  less  guilty  than  their  professed 
Christian  Allies,  the  British  and  Tories,  who  incited 
them  to  plunder  and  murder. 

Again  thanking  you  and  your  associates  for  the  honor 
of  an  invitation,  I  remain,  dear  sir,  your  friend  and  fel- 
low-citizen, 

BENSON  J.  LOSSING. 


FROM  HON.  POMEROY  JONES, 
Historian  of  Oneida  County. 

LAiRDsyiLLE,ONEiDA  COUNTY,  August  7th,  1879. 

Dear  Sir:— Permit  me  to  present,  through  you,  to  your 
-committee  my  grateful  thanks  for  the  kind  invitation  ex- 
tended to  me  to  attend  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  Gen 
-eral  Sullivan's  campaign  against  the  Indians. 

From  the  infirmities  of  age  I  shall  not  feel  capable  of 
performing  the  journey  and  shall  fail  to  be  present.  In 
less  than  five  months  I  shall  have  arrived  at  my  ninetieth 
birthday. 

The  great  heart  of  the  people  of  the  United  States  has 
^ibrated  in  celebrating  the  most  important  events  of  the 
Revolutionary  war.  This  is  right  and  as  it  should  be.  It 
serves  to  keep  in  remembrance  the  sufferings,  the  daring 
chivalry,  and  the  glorious  victories  of  the  iron  men  who 
composed  the  American  army.  • 

Two  years  ago  we  celebrated  the  battle  of  Oriskany  in 


OF  SULLIVAN' 8  EXPEDITION.  173 

Oneida  county.  It  drew  together  the  greatest  collection 
of  people  ever  assembled  in  the  county.  No  one  ever 
thought  of  estimating  the  number.  They  could  only  be 
measured  by  the  acre.  It  was  the  most  deadly  battle  of 
the  Revolution,  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  the  patri- 
ots engaged.  In  no  other  contest  was  one-fourth  of  their 
nnmber  left  to  moulder  on  the  field,  yet  it  was  the  first 
link  in  the  chain  of  events  that  led  to  the  surrender  of 
Burgoyne's  army.  This  event  was  the  keystone  in  the 
arch  of  Independence.  Previously,  congress  had  ex- 
hausted all  the  sinews  of  war  at  its  command.  Its  bills 
of  credit  had  so  fallen,  that  a  month's  pay  of  a  colonel 
would  not  buy  him  a  breakfast  ;  the  army  was  unpaid 
and  very  scantily  fed  and  clothed.  Baron  Steuben  said 
no  army  in  Europe  could  be  kept  together  a  month, under 
like  circumstances.  By  the  magnetism  of  the  great  and 
good  Washington,  the  army  was,  however,  kept  intact. 
The  capture  of  Burgoyne  and  his  army  caused  a  bright 
day  10  dawn  upon  the  United  States.  It  gave  them  char- 
acter in  Europe;  men,  arms  and  munitions  of  war,  were 
obtained  and  money  loaned, 

A  few  sad  reverses,  however,  followed.  The  army  then 
became  more  efficient  under  the  severe  discipline  of  Steu- 
ben. The  contest  closed  by  the  capture  of  Lord  Corn- 
wallis  and  his  army  at  Yorktown.  Great  Britain  acknowl- 
edged the  Independence  of  the  States  and  ratified  a  peace 
with  them.  A  day  of  thanksgiving  was  proclaimed  in 
the  United  States.  Britain  had  lost  her  thirteen  colonies, 
lost  fifty  thousand  of  her  own  soldiers,  and  one  hundred 
millions  of  money  in  the  contest. 

The  United  States  had  achieved  their  Independence, and 
gained  a  rank  among  the  nations. 

"Let  Independence  be  our  boast, 
Ever  mindful  what  it  cost." 

Yours  most  truly, 

POMEROY  JONES. 


174  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

FROM  JEPTHA  R.  SIMMS,  THE  HISTORIAN. 

Author  of  "History  of  Schoharie    County  and  Border 
Wars  of  New  York." 

FORT  PLAIN,  N.  Y.  August,  19,  1879. 

Dear  Sir: — I  wish  it  were  practicable  for  me  to  accept 
your  kind  invitation,  and  be  at  Waterloo  on  the  ap- 
proaching September  Srd,  to  unite  with  the  Seneca  Coun- 
ty lovers  of  freedom,  in  celebrating  the  Centennial  anni- 
versary of  General  Sullivan's  Campaign — one  of  the 
important  events  of  our  national  struggle  for  Independ- 
ence. 

The  adventure  of  rolling  back  upon  the  Indians  of 
Western  New  York,  retaliatory  measures  for  their  cruel- 
ties inflicted  upon  the  exposed  frontier  settlements  for 
two  years  and  the  beginning  of  the  third — conspicuous 
among  them,  the  destruction  of  Wyoming  and  Cherry 
Valley,  is  said  to  have  been  conceived  by  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  the  great  and  good  Washington. 

This  invasion  and  destruction  of  their  own  homes, 
taught  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations,  or  a  majority  of 
them,  by  a  sad  experience,  that  the  quarrel  between 
Great  Britain  and  her  colonies  was  one  they  should  have 
kept  aloof  from ;  and  yet,  poor  souls,  they  were  far  less 
to  blame  than  were  their  English  instigators.  And  al- 
though they  hung  like  a  curtain  of  death  upon  the  whole 
frontier  during  the  war,  yet  their  adherence  to  kingly 
rule  gave  us  the  possession  of  their  lands  at  an  earlier 
date, and  on  easier  terms,  than  could  otherwise  have  been 
expected. 

Alas,  the  poor  Indian  !  he  gave  his  hunting  grounds 
for  settlement,  and  his  friendly  protection,  to  a  people 
foreign  to  his  own,  and  aided  in  nourishing  and  cherish- 
ing them,  until  he  became  an  easy  prey  to  their  avarice 
and  chicanery.  Although  there  seems  to  have  been  an 
over-ruling  Providence  in  the  general  removal  of  the  red 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  175 

man  from  his  American  hunting  grounds,  from  causes  or 
for  reasons  inscrutable  to  us  ;  yet  who  can  fail  to  drop  a 
tear  of  sympathy  over  the  graves  of  their  fathers  :  or  in 
speaking  of.  or  listening  to,  the  euphonious  names  they 
gave  to  our  mountains,  lakes  and  water  courses,  fail  to 
experience  a  melancholy  thought  that  once  those  names 
were  chanted  in  song  on  the  lips  of  nature's  children — 
free  as  the  mountain  deer — courageous  as  the  jungle  tiger 
—hospitable  as  a  Samaritan  ;  to  be  known  in  those  places 
no  more  forever. 

Wishing  the  good  people  of  Seneca  County  every 
success  in  their  laudable  endeavor  to  perpetuate  the 
patriotic  deeds,  as  well  as  the  sufferings,  of  their  ancestors, 
whose  footsteps  were  often  traced  in  blood — and  whose 
virtues  and  love  of  country  we  should  ever  emulate, 

I  am,  Yours,  Very  Respectfully, 
J.  R.  SIMMS. 


FROM  HON.  O.  H.  MARSHALL. 

BUFFALO,  August  5th,  1879. 

My  Dear  Sir — I  have  been  holding  in  abeyance  the 
invitation  of  your  committee,  asking  my  presence  at  the 
Centennial  Celebration,  to  be  held  at  Waterloo  on  the  3d 
proximo. 

I  fear  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  attend.  It  would 
give  me  great  pleasure  to  join  in  commemorating  the 
patriotism  of  the  gallant  men,  who  penetrated  the  then 
wilderness  of  Western  New  York,  swarming  with  hostile 
savages— and  defeated  and  dispersed  the  barbarous  hordes 
that  had  so  long  infested  our  frontier. 

With  thanks  for  the  invitation,  I  am,  very  respectfully, 
yours, 

O.  H.  MARSHALL. 


176  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

FROM  PROFESSOR  J.  DORMAl^  STEELE. 

ELMIKA.  August  4th,  1879. 

Gentlemen : — Your  letter  of  the  24th  ultimo,  inviting 
me  to  be  present  at  your  Centennial  Celebration  of  Gen- 
eral Sullivan's  campaign,  is  just  at  hand. 

Should  my  engagements  at  the  time  permit,  it  would 
give  me  great  pleasure  to  be  present  and  share  with  you, 
in  paying  due  honor  to  the  brave  men,  who  opened  a  way 
for  civilization  and  Christianity  to  enter  the  famous  Gen- 
esee  country. 

In  cherishing  their  memory,  we  shall  teach  our  children 
to  prize  more  highly  and  preserve  more  carefully,  the 
blessings  we  hope  to  bequeath  to  them  unimpaired. 

With  highest  regards,  I  am,  yours  sincerely, 

J.  DORMAN  STEELE. 


FROM  HON.  BENJAMIN  F.  ANGEL. 

GENESKO,  September  1st,  1879. 

Gentlemen  : — I  have  been  honored  with  your  invitation 
to  be  present  at  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General 
Sullivan's  campaign  against  the  Indians  on  the  third 
instant,  at  Waterloo,  and  but  for  the  fact  that  the  people 
of  this  county  are  to  celebrate  I  he  same  grand  event  on 
the  sixteenth  instant,  I  should  be  gratified  to  unite  with 
the  citizens  of  Seneca  county,  in  commemorating  this 
anniversary,  which  should  rot  be  allowed  to  pass  un- 
noticed. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  when  this  expedition  under 
General  Sullivan  was  organized,  one  hundred  years  ago. 
Central  and  Western  New  York  was  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, inhabited  by  a  powerful  and  hostile  confederacy  of 
Indians,  supported  by  British  troops  and  their  tory  allies  ; 
and  it  required  extraordinary  energy  and  indomitable 
courage  to  carry  forward  the  objects  of  the  campaign. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  177 

These  commemorations  are  therefore,  a  fitting  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  the  brave  officers  and  soldiers  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  enterprise.  It  is  an  event  which  did  more 
to  advance  the  cause  of  civilization  than  any  other  in  the 
century.  The  bloody  wrongs  inflicted  upon  the  frontier 
settlements  by  these  hostile  tribes  of  Indians, resulted  in 
their  defeat  and  expulsion  from  the  country,  and  the 
glowing  account  given  by  the  soldiers  on  their  return,  of 
the  beauty  of  the  country  and  fertility  of  the  soil,  hast- 
ened the  settlement  of  this  part  of  the  State  by  a  hardy, 
intelligent  and  patriotic  class  of  people. 

With  great  respect,  I  remain,  very  truly  yours, 

B.  F.  ANGEL. 


FROM  REV.  DR.  CHARLES  HAWLEY, 
OF  AUBURN. 

CATSKILL  MOUNTAIN  HOUSE,  August  25th,  1879. 

Dear  Sir  : — I  find  much  to  my  regret  that  it  will  not  be 
possible  for  me  to  be  present  at  the  Centennial  Celebra- 
tion at  Waterloo,  on  September  3rd,  since  on  account  of 
my  health.  I  must  remain  here  until  afler  that  date. 

I  learn,  however,  with  pleasure,  that  the  necessary  steps 
have  been  taken  to  have  the  Cayuga  County  Historical 
Society  represented  on  that  occasion. 

The  founder  of  Auburn,  Colonel  John  L.  Hardenbergh, 
was  an  officer  in  the  Sullivan  expedition,  and  his  journal, 
now  being  printed  under  the  auspices  of  our  Society,  will 
be  found  an  interesting  contribution  to  that  portion  of 
revolutionary  history,  pertaining  to  this  region  of  the 
state,  and  so  intimately  connected  with  its  speedy  and 
permanent  settlement.  Other  pioneers,  officers  and  sol- 
diers in  this  memorable  campaign, — at  the  close  of  the 
last  century,  settled  within  the  present  limits  of  the  county, 
and  it  is  most  fitting  that  .Cayuga  should  unite  with 


178  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

Seneca  in  this  commemoration  of  the  patriotic  services  of 
all  who  thus  bore  part  in  opening  this  portion  of  the 
country  to  freedom  and  a  Christian  civilization. 

Thanking  the  committee  for  their  courteous  invitation, 
I  remain,  yours  very  truly, 

CHARLES  HAWLEY. 


FROM  MR,  H.  G.  R.  DEARBORN, 
A  grandson  of  Colonel  Henry  Dearborn. 

HAWTHORN  COTTAGE,  BOSTON,  Mass.  ) 
August  29th,  1879.      f 

Dear  Sir: — I  regret  exceedingly,  that  other  engagements 
will  prevent  my  accepting  your  very  polite  invitation,  to 
be  present  at  Waterloo,  on  September  3rd. 

The  occasion  is  a  most  interesting  one  to  all  Americans, 
and  particularly  so  to  myself.  The  trials,  hardships  and 
perseverance  of  those  engaged  in  our  Revolutionary  strag- 
gle, should  never  be  forgotten. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

Yours,  very  respectfully, 

H.  G.  R.  DEARBORN. 


FROM  MR.  STANWIX  GANSEVOORT, 
A  grandson  of  Colonel  Peter  Gansevoort. 

GLENS  FALLS,  N.  Y.,  September  1st,  1879. 

Dear  Sir: — Feeling  deeply  gratified,  and  appreciating 
highly  the  honor  of  being  remembered  in  the  list  of 
invitations,  for  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General 
Sullivan's  memorable  campaign,  on  the  third  instant,  I 
sincerely  regret,  that  it  will  be  impossible,  on  account  of 
illness,  for  me  to  attend. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  179 

Wishing  yon  fine  weather,  a  large  attendance,  and  a 
happy  conclusion  of  the  day,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 
Yours  truly, 

STANWIX  GANSEVOOIIT. 


FROM  MAJOR  M.  M.  JONES, 
Secretary  of  the  ODeida  Historical  Society. 

UTICA,  August  28th,   1879. 

Gentlemen — Your  cordial  invitation  to  attend  the  Sene- 
ca County  Centennial  at  Waterloo  was  received,  and  I 
had  hoped  until  now,  to  be  present.  Confessing  myself 
an  enthusiast  upon  the  subject  of  local  history,  could  I 
be  present,  I  have  no  doubt  of  a  rich  treat. 

Thousands  of  facts  in  our  Colonial  and  early  State  his- 
tory, have  been  lost  or  hidden,  through  carelessness  or 
design,  and  our  people  have  had  their  attention  constant- 
ly drawn  to  other  Colonies  and  States,  with  whose  records, 
those,  of  New  York  will  bear  honorable  comparison. 
New  York  has  never  had  fair  play  in  our  histories. 
While  the  honorable  actions  and  sentiments  of  Others, 
have  had  prominent  places,  well  underscored  upon  the 
pages  of  history,  those  of  New  York  have  been  belittled 
or  entirely  ignored. 

Plymouth  Rock  and  Jamestown,  Bunker  Hill  and 
Yrorktown,  and  many  other  points,  have  been  given  due 
prominence,  but  the  discovery  of  Hudson's  river,  the  set- 
tlement of  its  banks  far  up,  prior  to  the  landing  of  the 
Pilgrims,  the  battles  of  Long  Island,  White  Plains, 
Bennington  and  Oriskany,  the  seige  of  Port  Stanwix, 
Sullivan's  campaign  with  the  battle  of  Connewawah  &c., 
have  had  little  prominence  assigned  them,  while  Saratoga 
the  battle  of  greater  importance  than  all  others,  and  from 
which  our  alliance  with  France  resulted,  has  barely 

12 


180  SENECA  C0UNTY  CENTENNIAL 

escaped  oblivion,  may  be  to  save  the  honor  of  men  of 
other  States. 

Our  Centennials  have  at  this  late  day  taught  our  own 
people,  as  to  the  loyalty,  acts  and  courage  of  New- 
Yorkers.  For  a  hundred  years  prior  to  177&,  there  had 
been  a  contest,  always  zealous,  hot  always  discreet,  between 
the  people  of  the  colony  and  the  aristocratic,  governing 
element.  Opposition  to  the  stamp  act,  and  the  oppressive 
measures  of  the  colonial  governors  of  that  period  brought 
to  the  front  a  large  number  of  the  best  soldiers  and  states- 
men of  New  York,  in  the  Revolution.  A  large  portion 
of  the  Dutch  element  in  the  colony  of  New  York  was 
loyal  to  the  cause  of  Independence.  In  New  York  city, 
the  stamp  act  was  resisted  by  public  meetings  and  irregu- 
lar assemblages  of  people — the  stamp  officers  compelled 
to  resign  and  the  stamps  delivered  to  the  Mayor — the 
Lieutenant-Governor  hung  in  effigy  and  his  coach  burned; 
soldiers,  after  firing  upon  the  people,  were  attacked  and 
disarmed  in  the  street,  the  residences  of  military  officers 
sacked,  and  destroyed ;  large  quantities  of  tea  thrown 
into  the  river,  vessels  with  cargoes  of  tea  ordered  to 
return  to  England,  non-importation  associations  formed 
and  their  rules  enforced,  the  most  radical  and  revolution- 
ary sentiments  enunciated  in  public  meetings, — and  all 
within  range  of  the  guns  of  the  port  and  the  men  of  war 
lying  in  Hudson  and  East  rivers.  The  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  and  the  Governors  ,of  Connecticut  and 
Rhode  Island,  entered  heartily  into  the  revolution  which 
was  bitterly  opposed  by  the  Governors  and  councillors 
and  a  large  majority  of  the  Assemblies  of  New  York, 
and  ye'  the  people  of  New  York  were  as  zealous  and 
active,  for  the  ten  years  prior  to  1775,  as  those  of  any 
other  colony.  These  facts  should  be  known. 

The  expedition  of  General  Sullivan  in  1779,  was  a 
military  necessity.  Hordes  of  savages  were  deriving  their 
sustenance  from  their  towns  and  villages  in  Western  New 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  181 

York.  These  villages  were  easy  of  access  not  only  to 
their  proprietors,  the  Onondagas,  Cayugas  and  Senecas, 
to  which  they  returned  to  recruit  after  their  expeditions 
for  murder  and  pillage,  but  they  furnished  rendezvous 
for  the  Indians  of  Canada  and  the  lakes,  and  for  the 
brutal  tories  who  had  discarded  civilized  warfare,  and  so 
often  put  Brant  to  the  blush  by.  their  barbarities.  After 
the  Mohawks  had  been  driven  from  the  Mohawk  Valley, 
they,  for  the  time,  found  a  home  with  these  three  western 
tribes.  The  Indians  raised  in  these  fertile  regions  im- 

.O 

mense  crops  of  corn  and  beans.  They  had  extensive 
orchards  of  apples,  pears  and  peaches.  These  villages 
were  unfailing  bases  of  supplies,  for  while  the  men  were 
absent  on  the  war  path,  their  women  performed  their 
usual  labors  in  cultivating  the  soil.  Whatever  some  sen- 
timental historians  may  have  said  as  to  its  inhumanity 
and  unchristian  policy,  General  Sullivan' s  expedition  did 
greatly  weaken  the  Indians,  and  although  they  may  have 
subsequently  fought  for  revenge,  they  were  no  worse 
than  before.  The  same  arguments  used  against  General 
Sullivan' s  campaign,  may  be  used  against  every  invasion 
of  an  enemy's  country.  The  Indians  were,  for  once, 
made  to  feel  the  power  of  the  United  States. 

The  story  of  the  advance  of  General  Clinton  by  the 
way  of  Otsego  Lake,  of  the  hardships,  endurance  and  labors 
of  his  men,  seems  almost  incredible.  As  a  sort  of  precursor, 
Colonel  Van  Schaick  had  advanced  from  Fort  Stanwix 
and  destroyed  the  villages,  granaries,  and  orchards  of  the 
Onondagas,  in  the  April  previous.  General  Sullivan  put 
a  finishing  touch  to  the  villages,  crops  and  orchards  of 
the-Cayugas  and  Senecas,  (the  latter  tribe  out-numbering 
all  the  rest,)  and  thus  were  these  hordes  of  hostile  Indians 
and  their  families,  thrown  upon  the  British  for  susten- 
ance, sayingjiothing  of  the  number  of  Indians  captured 
and  killed. 

I  hope  your  Centennial  will  prove  a  success,  as   it  cer- 


182  SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

tainly  will,  if  it  leads  the  people  of  Western  New  York, 
to  gain  a  more  accurate,  unprejudiced  and  extended 
knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  territory,  once  the  colony, 
now  the  State  of  New  York. 

With  respect,  very  truly  yours, 

M.  M.  JONES. 


FROM  REV.  DR.  J.  ELMENDORF. 

POUGHKEEPSIE,  August  18th,  1879. 

Gentlemen  : — I  acknowledge  with  much  satisfaction, 
your  invitation  to  the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General 
Sullivan's  campaign,  to  be  Held  at  Waterloo. 

Holding  with  the  pre-eminent  Latin  historian,  "that 
the  chief  office  of  history  is  to  rescue  virtuous  deeds  from 
the  oblivion  to  which  a  want  of  records  would  consign 
them,"  I  have  noticed,  with  admiration,  the  evidence  of 
the  presence  and  growth  of  an  unusual  historical  spirit  in 
Seneca  county,  and,  with  warm  sympathy,  the  movement 
"to  commemorate  the  patriotic  services  of  the  brave  men 
of  the  Revolution,  who  served  in  General  Sullivan' s  cam- 
paign," 

Deeply  regretting,  that  special  official  engagements  will 
prevent  me  from  being  present  at  the  Celebration,  I  wish 
for  it  a  success,  that  shall  give  a  definite  impulse  to  his- 
torical research  and  acquisition  for  the  century  to  come. 

I  am,  very  truly,  yours, 

JOACHIM  ELMENDOR.F. 


FROM  HON.  WINSLOW  C.  WATSON. 

PORT  KENT,  Essex  Co.,  August  llth,  1879. 

Dear  Sir  : — Accept  my  warm  acknowledgment  of  the 
civility  of  your  committee  in  extending  to  me  an  invita- 
tion to  your  approaching  Centennial.  It  would  afford  me 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  183 

the  greatest  pleasure  to  be  present  on  this  occasion, 
but  I  fear  that  my  feeble  health  will  prevent.  In  com- 
muning with  your  people,  I  should  scarcely  feel  myself  a 
stranger  to  them,  either  in  sympathy  or  in  a  familiarity 
with  the  historic  events  which  have  illustrated  the  region. 
I  am  able  to  trace  in  my  feelings  an  association  with 
Seneca  county,  to  my  early  childhood. 

My  father,  Elkanah  Watson,  held  large  personal  in- 
terests in  the  district ;  he  was  on  terms  of  intimate 
friendship  with  many  of  its  prominent  pioneers,  and  the 
system  of  waters  which  flows  from  your  beautiful  lakes, 
was  the  scene  of  those  explorations,  which  stimulated 
his  conceptions  of  internal  improvements.  He  had  re- 
garded the  expedition  of  General  Sullivan  as  among  the 
most  important  and, effective  in  its  results,  of  the  measures 
of  the  revolutionary  war.  Most  of  its  leaders  were  his 
near  associates,  and  under  Sullivan  himself,  he  had 
served  at  the  siege  of  Newport,  Rhode  Island.  All  these 
circumstances  combined  to  impart  to  him  a  strong  interest 
in  your  section,  and,  by  his  habitual  conversations,  he 
communicated  to  me  a  familiar  acquaintance  with  your 
county  and  its  annals. 

In  the  summer  of  1817  or  1818, 1  made,  with  my  father, 
the  journey  from  Albany  to  Geneva.  It  was  not  direct 
and  we  occasionally  crossed  the  line  of  march  of  General 
Sullivan's  army.  The  first  point  of  this  route,  which  we 
touched,  was  the  shelving  shores  of  Otsego  lake,  where 
the  fields  and  wigwams  of  the  Indians  had  been  submerged 
by,  to  them,  the  portentous  swelling  of  the  waters.  JM  ear 
Cooperstown,  we  saw  the  site  of  the  dam  erected  by  Gen- 
eral James  Clinton,  the  cause  of  the  fearful  portent,  and 
the  spot  whence  the  flotilla  started  on  its  strange  descent 
of  the  Susquehanna. 

We  followed,  through  nearly  the  length  of  Seneca 
county,  the  march  of  the  invading  army  and  heard 
everywhere  traditions  of  the  devastations  of  the  happy 


184  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL. 

villages  and  fertile  tracts  of  the  Indians.  My  recollection 
is  particularly  vivid,  of  the  beauty  and  richness  of  the 
territory  about  A  ppletown,  and  the  evidences  still  appar- 
ent of  the  terrible  rain  that  had  desolated  it.  Many 
venerable  fruit  trees  were  yet  standing,  witnesses  of  the 
magnitude  and  extent  of  the  former  orchards,  while  in- 
numerable mutilated  and  coarsely  chopped  stumps, 
attested  the  haste  and  the  method  of  this  destruction. 

We  enjoyed  for  several  days  the  princely  hospitality 
of  Colonel  Wilhelmus  Mynderse  at  Seneca  Falls.  He 
was  an  old  cherished  friend  of  my  father  and  eminent 
among  the  class  of  early  settlers  whose  high  qualities 
impressed  an  enduring  influence  upon  the  character  of 
your  community.  My  memory  reverts  to  his  residence, 
as  a  long,  low  mansion,  with  a  broad  verandah,  and  stand- 
ing near  the  famous  Red  Mills,  and  at  right  angles  with 
the  Seneca  river.  The  village  of  Seneca  Falls  I  recall, 
resting  in  scattered  buildings,  chiefly  on  a  single  main 
street. 

On  our  drive  toward  Geneva,  1  observed  men  and  teams 
engaged  in  levelling  the  earth,  on  a  spot  which  I  was 
informed  was  the  foundation  for  a  new  court  house  (Wa- 
terloo). When  I  now  review  the  circumstances,  the 
locality  seems  to  have  been  at  that  time,  almost  an  open 
country.  I  have  no  remembrance  of  the  presence  of  a 
village  and  certainly  nothing  more  than  a  small  hamlet. 
The  county  .buildings  were  located  at  Ovid. 

Although  I  have  often  since,  traversed  the  borders  of 
your  county  in  the  old-time  post-coach,  on  a  canal  packet 
boat,  or  upon  the  wings  of  steam,  I  have  not  visited  its 
interior  since  that  journey.  I  know  of  its  vast  progress 
and  am  conscious  of  the  embellishments  with  which  art 
and  taste  and  wealth  have  invested  and  adorned  it,  but 
the  actuality  of  its  aspect,  as  I  beheld  it  more  than  sixty 
years  ago,  is  still  firmly  daguerreotyped  upon  my  mem- 
ory. I  am  constrained  to  remember  the  lovely  district 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  185 

between  your  unequalled  lakes  as  revealing  the  sad 
vestiges  of  the  aboriginal  occupation,  then  lingering  on 
its  scenes,  its  grand  primeval  forests,  its  fields  often 
blackened  by  charred  logs  and  stumps  and  just  carved 
from  the  wilderness,  and  an  affluence  of  native  wealth, 
only  beginning  to  throb  into  vitality. 

The  illusion  is  strange,  but  pleasant !  With  congratu- 
lations for  the  patriotic  sentiment  which  inspired  your 
action,  and  with  an  earnest  desire  for  the  complete  success 
of  your  measures,  I  am,  very  respectfully,  yours, 

WINSLOW  C.  WATSON. 


FROM  HON.  ASGILL  GIBBS.* 

ROCHESTER,  N.Y.,  April  28th,  1879. 

Dear  Sir: — I  received  your  kind  invitation  to  attend 
the  Sullivan  Centennial  Celebration  in  my  mnch  beloved 
County  of  Seneca,  on  the  third  of  September. 

It  would  give  me  much  pleasure  to  meet  my  old  friends 
and  acquaintances  on  such  an  occasion.  The  events  which 
you  propose  to  commemorate  are  marked  periods  in  our 
history  and  merit  the  tribute  designed  by  the  good  people 
of  that  county. 

I  have  been  confined  by  sickness  several  days,  and  have 
deferred  answering  your  invitation,  hoping  for  an  im- 
provement. At  present,  there  seems  little  probability 
that  my  health  will  warrant  my  attendance. 

The  committee  will  please  accept  my  thanks  for  their 
courtesy,  arid  be  assured  of  my  'wishes,  that  the  results 
of  their  celebration  may  meet  their  expectations. 

Truly  yours, 

A.  GIBBS. 


*Mr.  Gibbs,  now  in  his  ninety-third  year,  was  a  former  resident  of  Ovid,  Seneca 
•County,  where  he  practised  law  sixty-five  years  ago. 


186  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

FROM  MR.  JACOB  FATZINGER, 

ALLENTOWN,  PA.,  August  4,  1879. 

Gentlemen: — Your  invitation  to  attend  the  Centennial 
Celebration  of  General  Sullivan's  Campaign  against  the 
Indians  of  Western  New  York,  to  be  held  at  Waterloo, 
September  3d,  is  received. 

I  thank  you  kindly  for  the  honor  bestowed  upon  me, 
and  in  reply  must  regret  my  inability  to  make  the  re- 
quired journey — greatly  as  I  desire  to  be  with  you — since 
I  reached  my  eighty-first  year, in  June  last. 

I  am, yours,  very  respectfully, 

JACOB  FATZINGER. 


FROM  MRS.  F.  C.  VAN  WYCK, 
Daughter  of  the  late  Hon.  Samuel  Clark. 

KALA.MAZOO,  MICH.,  September  1st,  1879. 

My  Dear  Sir: — Much  to  my  regret,  circumstances  will 
not  permit  me  to  be  present  on  the  occasion  of  the  Sul- 
livan Centennial,  which  your  loyal  people  of  my  native 
place  are  proposing  to  celebrate— not  that  sentiments  of 
loyalty  are  wanting  in  my  patriotic  breast — but  the  weak- 
ness of  the  flesh,  in  spite  of  the  willingness  of  the  spirit, 
forbids  my  carrying  them  into  expression,  at  so  great  a 
distance. 

How  many  chapters  in  the  history  of  my  early  life, 
are  recalled  by  the  perusal  of  your  invitation  !  There  re- 
appears before  my  eyes  Colonel  Caleb  Fairchild  on  his 
white  charger,  "leading  on  his  militia  men  to  the  Square," 
impressing  my  childish  fancies  with  all  the  awe  and  ad- 
miration that  Wellington  or  'Napoleon  had  excited  on 
the  fields  of  Belgian  Waterloo  !  You  will  perhaps  recall 
with  me,  that  "bete  noire"  of  our  youthful  days, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  187 

"Bloody  Scauyas,"  and  our  solicitude  in  endeavoring  to 
discover  the  exact  site  of  the  encounter  with  those  san- 
guinary Indians.  But  why  should  I  endeavor  to  revive 
the  reminiscences  which  the  occasion  cannot  fail  to 
awaken ! 

How  eagerly  my  revered  father  would  have  responded 
to  your  call— he  who  in  the  home  of  his  adoption,  with 
new  interests  and  duties  at  heart,  never  ceased  to  cherish 
the  fond  associations*  connected  with  his  early  manhood. 

Trusting  that  success  may  attend  the  happy  event,  I 
am,  yours,  sincerely, 

F.  C.  VAN  WYCK. 


FROM  JUDGE  E.  L.  BURTON. 

OTTUMWA,  IOWA,  August  20th,  1879. 

Dear  Sir: — I  have  received  from  the  committee  on 
behalf  of  the  town  of  Waterloo,  an  invitation  to  be  pre- 
sent at  the  Sullivan  Centennial  and  Waterloo  Re-union 
on  the  3rd  day  of  September.  I  should  be  pleased  to  be 
present  on  that  occasion,  but  my  official  duties  will  not 
permit,  as  I  shall  be  constantly  employed  in  holding 
court  from  the  llth  inst.,  until  the  1st  of  December. 

Although  it  is  now  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  since 
I  left  Waterloo,  yet  the  memory  of  "old  times"  is  as 
fresh  almost  as  yesterday,  and  I  can  never  forget  the 
many  kind  and  warm  friends  I  left  behind.  I  regret  ex- 
ceedingly, that  I  shall  be  unable  to  unite  with  you  in 
your  Celebration.  I  know  it  would  be  most  pleasant  "  to 
meet  old  friends  and  renew  old  friendships,"  and  I  would 
permit  nothing  of  a  purely  personal  character  to  stand  in 
the  way  ;  but  one  in  the  discharge  of  official  duties  is  the 
servant  of  the  public,  and  he  can  scarcely  call  the  time 
his  own. 

I  extend,  through  you,  to  the  committee,  my  sincere 
thanks  for  their  kind  invitation,  to  them  collectively,  and 


188  SENEGA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

individually,  as  I  am  personally  acquainted  with  every 
member  of  the  committee. 

Yours  Respectfully, 

E.  L.  BURTON. 


FEOM  HON.  H.  H.  RILEY. 

CONSTANTINE,  MICH.,  July  28th,  1879. 

• 

Dear  Sir — I  received  your  invitation  to  the  "Sullivan 
Centennial,"  for  which  I  am  much  obliged.  I  am  going 
to-day  into  the  Lake  Superior  region  for  a  few  weeks, 
and  fear  I  cannot  get  around  in  time  to  enjoy  the  occasion. 

It  is  not  only  patriotic  but  instructive,  to  revive  the 
history  of  our  country,  by  these  Centennial  outbursts  and 
in  this  way  turn  the  mind  of  the  present  age,  back  into 
the  past,  and  set  it  at  work  there. 

How  few  know  about  the  civilization,  government  and 
life  of  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians  in  1779 !  How  few, 
know  the  high  state  of  the  cultivation  of  their  lands,  or 
the  size  and  number  of  buildings  erected  by  them,  at 
Canandaigua,  Geneva,  Waterloo  and  the  surrounding 
country  at  that  time.  "  Scoyes"  afterwards  "  Scauyas," 
was  quite  a  garden,  when  Colonel  Harper  destroyed  it, 
iSeptember  8,  1779. 

Hoping  you  may  have  a  glorious  time,  I  am  truly 
.yours, 

H.  H.  RILEY. 


FROM  HON.  GEORGE  C.  GIBBS. 

Los  XNGELES,  CAL.,  August  llth,  1879. 

Dear  Sirs — I  have  received  your  kind  invitation  to  at- 
tend the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General  Sullivan's 
march  across  the  territory  of  Seneca  County  in  1779. 

Though  unable  to  accept  your  invitation,  nothing  could 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  189 

afford  me  greater  pleasure,  than  to  be  with  you.  on  that 
occasion,  for  the  localities  touched  by  the  line  of  General 
Sullivan' s  march  along  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Seneca 
Lake,  are  among  the  familiar  scenes  of  my  boyhood,  and 
many  an  incident  of  that  memorable  expedition,  narrated 
to  me  by  venerable  men  long  since  passed  away,  remains, 
and  always  will  remain  in  my  memory. 

From  my  distant  home  beyond  the  Sierras,  I  send 
cordial  greetings,  and  kind  wishes  for  yourselves  and 
those  who  shall  meet  with  you,  to  commemorate  that  in- 
teresting event  in  the  annals  of  the  "Lake  Country."  I 
remain,  very  truly  yours, 

GEORGE  C.  GIBBS. 


FROM  RT.  REV.  BISHOP  WELLES, 

DIOCESAN  OFFICE,  MILWAUKEE,  Wis..  ) 
August  25,  1879.      [ 

Gentlemen: — I  have  delayed  answering  your  courteous 
invitation,  to  be  present  at  the  Centennial  Celebration  of 
General  Sullivan's  Campaign,  to  be  hejd  at  Waterloo, Sep- 
tember 3d,  hoping  that  I  might  be  able  so  to  arrange 
my  appointments  for  the  autumn  months,  that  it  would 
be  in  my  power  to  inform  you  of  my  intended  accept- 
ance. I  find,  however,  that  pressing  duties  will  make 
this  impossible. 

Personally, nothing  could  give  me  greater  pleasure,  than 
to  be  in  Waterloo,— so  dear  to  me  in  all  respects,— upon 
the  occasion  of  this  most  interesting  Centennial,  and  to 
join  in  a  Re-union,  which,!  am  sure,  will  be, to  all  who  are 
present,  most  delightful  in  its  commemorative  exercises, 
and  ever  after,  one  of  the  cherished  memories  of  life. 
Very  truly  and  sincerely, 

EDWARD  R.  WELLES. 


190  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

FROM  HON.  NORMAN  SEYMOUR, 

MOUNT  MORRIS,  August  4th,  1879. 

Dear  Sirs  : — I.  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  po- 
lite invitation  to  attend  the  Commemoration  of  General 
Sullivan's  famous  incursion  into  Western  ix'ew  York,  to 
be  held  at  Waterloo,  September  3d. 

I  assure  you  I  am  much  interested  in  the  observance  of 
the  Centennial  of  that  memorable  expedition — the  most 
effective  against  the  Iroquois,  that  occurred  during  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

The  history  of  that  Campaign  proves  that  General  Sul- 
livan and  his  brave  army  were  inspired  by  the  most  sin- 
cere and  lofty  patriotism,  and  a  monument  should  be 
erected,  which  should  perpetuate  their  heroic  bravery  and 
daring. 

I  trust  that  my  business  engagements  will  allow  me  to 
share  with  you,  the  honors  of  that  commemorative  occa- 
sion. With  sincere  consideration, 

I  am, yours, very  truly, 

NORMAN  SEYMOUR. 


FROM  HON.  CHARLES  E.  STUART. 

KALAMAZOO,  Mich.,  August  30th,  1879. 

My  Dear  Sir  : — Your  very  kind  letter  and  the  invitations 
of  your  centennial  and  re-union  committees,  were  both 
duly  received  and  until  within  the  last  few  days  I  had 
hoped  that  I  should  be  able  to  meet  you  in  person  on  the 
third  proximo,  and  participate  in  your  interesting  cere- 
monies. But  I  am  now  convinced  that  it  would  be 
imprudent  to  venture  upon  the  journey,  and  I  must 
therefore  forego  one  of  the  most  desirable  pleasures  of 
my  life. 

Waterloo  and  Seneca  county,  present  to  my  contempla- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  191 

tion,  scenes  and  recollections  of  deeper  interest  than  any 
other  place  upon  earth,  and  gladly  would  I  recall  and 
recount  some  of  them,  at  your  Centennial  and  Re-union, 
and  may  I  hope  that  some  among  you,  will  do  justice  to 
the  memory  of  your  distinguished  men,  who  gave  to 
Seneca  county  its  high  position  in  the  Empire  State. 
Such  lawyers  as  John  Knox,  Jesse  Clark,  John  Burton, 
Samuel  Birdsall  of  Waterloo,  Sacket  and  Stevens,  Tyler 
and  Bascom  of  Seneca  Falls,  Thompson  and  Maynard  of 
Ovid.  Such  physicans  as  Fifield,  Loring,  Welles  and 
Stuart,  and  such  merchants  and  millers  as  Reuben  Swift, 
John  Watkins,  Colonel'  Mynderse  and  N.  P.  Lee — these, 
and  many  others  now  gone,  made  Seneca  county  eminent, 
and  are  justly  entitled  to  a  high  position  in  the  history 
of  New  York. 

Pardon  me  the  impression,  that  your  published  history 
of  Seneca  county,  sadly  fails  in  doing  justice  to  the  mem- 
ory of  some  of  your  ablest  and  most  distinguished  men. 
Will  you  please  convey  to  your  committee,  my  thanks, 
for  the  honor  conferred  by  their  invitation,  and  my  best 
wishes  for  the  complete  success  of  your  celebration,  and 
for  yourself,  please  accept  my  kindest  regards. 
Yours  truly, 

CHAKLES  E.  STUAKT. 


Formal  letters  regretting  inability  to  attend  the  Cele- 
bration, were  also  received  by  the  Committee,  in  addition 
to  those  published,  from  Governors  Talbot.  of  Massachu- 
setts ;  Bishop,  of  Ohio  ;  Hoyt,  of  Pennsylvania ;  and 
McClellan,  of  New  Jersey  ;  United  States  Senators,  Hon. 
Francis Kernan,  and Hon.RoscoeConkling; Ex-Governors 
Hon.  John  T.  Hoffman  and  Myron  H.  Clark  ;  from  Hon. 
William  M.  Evarts,  Hon.  John  Sherman,  Hon.  David  M. 
Key,  Hon.  Charles  Devens,  Hon.  Carl  Schurz,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.;  Ex-Governor  Gilbert  C.Walker,  of  Virginia; 
Hon.  Thomas  C.  Amory,  of  Boston,  Mass. :  Hon.  Samuel 


192  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

Sullivan  Cox,  New  York  City;  Hon.  J.  H.  Wade,  Cleve- 
land. Ohio  ;  Hon.  George  F.  Danforth,  Rochester  ;  Hon, 
Ja*mes  C.  Smith,  Canandaigua  ;  Hon.  George  B.  Bradley, 
Corning ;  General  C.  D.  MacDougall,  Auburn  ;  Dr.  F.  B. 
Hough,  Lowville  ;  Hon.  Elias  W.  Leavenworth,  Syracuse  ; 
Hon.  M.  C.  Burch,  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan ;  Hon.  Wil- 
liam P.  Letchworth,  Buffalo  ;  Hon.  James  A.  Briggs, 
Brooklyn  ;  Hon.  E.  W.  Foster,  Potsdam  ;  Hon.  Horatio 
Ballard,  Cortland  ;  Hon.  John  B.  Linn,  Belfonte,  Pa.; 
Hon.  Abraham  Lansing,  General  Frank  Chamberlain, 
Colonel  John  D.  Van  Buren,  Hon.  Neil  Gilmour,  Hon. 
George  R.  Howell,  Hon.  Richard  Yarick  DeWitt,  and 
Dr,  S.  B.Woolworth,  Albany  ;Dr,  D.  H,  Bissell,  Geneseo; 
Jared  Sandford,  Mt.  Yernon ;  W.  S.  Sayre,  Bainbridge  ; 
Rev.  Daniel  Leisenring,  Livonia  ;  Benjamin  Young,  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin ;  B.  F.  Woodruff,  Rockwood,  Michi- 
gan ;  and  a  number  of  others. 


The  exercises  at  the  Grand  Stand  were  concluded  with 
the  Benediction,  pronounced  by  REV.  PULASKI  E.  SMITH 
of  Tyre. 

While  the  Programme  of  Exercises*  for  the  day,  was 
in  the  main  observed  and  carried  out — the  rich  musical 
treat — both  vocal  and  instrumental,  which  had  been  pre- 
pared, was  unavoidably  omitted  by  reason  of  the  rain 
storm,  and  the  consequent  necessity  of  somewhat  short- 
ening the  programme. 


*See  Appendix. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  .193 


THE    COLLATION. 

The  audience  at  the  grand  stand  having  been  dismissed, 
the  Officers  of  the  Hay,  Speakers,  Invited  Guests,  and 
many  others,  repaired  to  a  large  tent,  provided  by  the 
local  committee,  upon  the  Fair  Grounds,  where  an  ele- 
gant collation  had  been  prepared,  which  was  served  by 
the  ladies  of  Waterloo. 

RESPONSES   TO   SENTIMENTS   AND  TOASTS. 

The  cloth  having  been  removed,  the  President  of  the 
Day,  Judge  Miller,  announced  the  following  sentiments, 
for  the  several  towns,in  alphabetical  order, which  in  each 
instance,  was  responded  to,  by  a  resident  .of  the  town 
named  : 

COVERT. 

The  home  and  covert  of  a  frank,  industrious  and  frugal  population— the  banner  ag- 
ricultural town  of  the  County,—  whose  inhabitants.while  honoring  the  name  of  an  early 
settler.-  cannot  be  charged  with  coyert  behavior. 

Responded  to  by  REV.  L.  HALSEY,  as  follows:— 
Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  ;— 

From  its  covert,  yet  kindly  metaphors,  we  might  sup- 
pose this  sentiment  to  have  been  drawn,  not  from  the 
Wells  of  plain  and  practical  truth,  but  from  the  poetical 
and  fanciful  imagination  of  the  Junior  member  of  the 
committee  on  toasts. 

If  there  are  any  covert  allusions  to  that  celebrated  can- 


194          SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

non,*  whose  boom  has  been  heard  so  often  in  this  Centen- 
nial Campaign,  I  beg  leave  to  assure  the  committee  that 
that  cannon  is  Covert . — covert  so  deeply  that  it  is  never 
a  gun  to  return. 

But,  Mr.  President,  this  poetical  sentiment  partakes  of 
fact,  rather  than  of  fancy.  As  the  "banner  agricultural 
town"  of  Seneca  County,  Covert  is  ready  to  compare  pro- 
ducts with  any  State  in  the  Union, even  with  Vermont,re- 
nowned  as  it  is,  for  its  good-looking  girls,  its  horses  and 
its  maple  sugar,  although 

"  The  first  and  the  last  are  extremely  sweet, 
And  all  are  exceedingly  hard  to  beat." 

Covert  congratulates  the  executive  committee  and  the 
citizens  of  Waterloo,  on  the  perfection  of  their  arrange- 
ments, the  beauty  of  their  decorations,  and  the  success 
of  the  celebration.  Both  the  assembled  multitude  and 
the  monument  at  Skoi-yase  withstand  the  fury  of  the  el- 
ements and  the  flight  of  time. 

The  town  committee  of  Covert  has  done  its  work  well. 
Especial  honor  is  due  the  chairman,  Supervisor  D.  C. 
Wheeler,  for  his  untiring  efforts  to  ensure  a  full  repre- 
sentation from  the  town, most  distant  from  the  battlefield 
of  Skoi-yase.  The  history,  has  been  prepared  with  great 
care  by  Major  Orlo  Horton.  The  town  Vice-President, 
Mr.  Ira  Almy,  the  Marshals,  Messrs.  I.  H,  Stout  and 
Homer  Boorom, entered  heartily  into  the  spirit  of  the  cel- 
ebration. Mr.  J.  L.  Ryno  aided  in  securing  for  the  his- 
torian the  list  of  soldiers,  and  Mr,  L.  B.  Parshall  in  pre- 
paring the  civil  history.  Other  towns  may  boast  of  the 
public  offices  held  by  their  citizens.  Covert  has  sent  some 
of  her  strongest  men  to  the  legislature,  and  is  ready  to  do 
it  again. 

England  has  had  her  revenge  upon  America;  for,look- 


*According  to  tradition,  General  Sullivan  buried  one  of  his  cannon  in  a  ravine  east 
of  Seneca  Lake,  and  one  of  the  town  committees,  in  facetious  mood,  offered  a  reward 
for  i's  recovery. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  195 

ing  upon  her  inhabitants  as  barbarians, and  remembering 
that  music  hath  charms  to  soothe  the  savage  breast,  she 
sent  another  Sullivan,  in  the  ship  Pinafore,  to  celebrate, 
by  conquering  the  Americans, this  Centennial  anniversary 
of  General  Sullivan's  expedition  against  the  English  and 
the  Iroquois. 

Look  back  one  hundred  years.  That  may  appear  to 
you  to  be  a  long  period;  but  look  back  ten  years;  to  many 
of  us  that  will  seem  to  be  a  short  span.  Ten  years  ago  ! 
Why,  it  seems  almost  like  j^esterday  to  many  of  us,  so 
swiftly  the  car  of  time  rolls  on.  Yet  think  of  it !  only 
ten  of  those  short  periods  have  passed  by,  since  this 
country  was  the  hunting  ground  of  the  Iroquois — the 
home  of  the  red  man — only  nine  such  periods  have  passed 
since  the  first  white  settler  was  peering  through  the  un- 
derbrush to  see  if  the  Indians  were  really  gone. 

Only  ten  times  ten  years,  and  how  wonderful  have 
been  the  changes.  No  more  the  canoe,  the  paddle,  the 
well-worn  trail,  but  the  steamship  and  the  railroad  car. 
No  more  the  wigwam,  but  the  stately  buildings  of  Wil- 
lard  and  Cornell. 

The  history  of  the  pioneers  of  this  lake  country  is  one 
upon  which  their  descendants  may  look  back  with  par- 
-donable  pride. 

By  their  strong  arms, the  forests  were  swept  away,  the 
seeds  of  civilization  and  culture  were  sown  in  the  wilder- 
ness, the  school  house  and  the  church  were  built  above 
the  Indian's  wigwam. 

They  were  men,  stalwart  in  frame  and  strong  in  pur- 
pose. Lacking,  often,  the  learning  to  be  gained  from 
books,  they  had  studied  nature  and  the  Bible.  Rude,in 
a  sense,  they  may  have  been,  yet  they  were  reverent 
in  spirit.  They  sought  a  home  in  the  wilderness.but  they 
thought  of  another  home  further  on.  Hence,  soon  after 
providing  a  shelter  for  their  families,  they  felt  the  need 
of  a  place  for  public  worship.  At  first  they  met  from 

13. 


196  SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

house  to  house,  then  they  assembled  in  some  large  barn,. 
then  in  the  log  school  house,  but  ere  long  they  built  a 
rude  temple,  which,  with  solemn  consecration,  they  set 
apart  for  the  worship  of  God. 

It  is  my  privilege  to  speak  to-day,  as  the  representative 
of  a  town  in  which  was  built  the  first  church  edifice  in 
the  county,  and  the  church  then  organized  has  been  the 
mother  of  twelve  daughter  churches,  the  little  one,  as  it 
were,  becoming  a  thousand,  and  the  weak  one,  a  strong 
nation. 

The  hardships  of  frontier  life,  can  be  properly  estimated 
only,  by  those  who  endure  them  year  after  year.  The 
pioneers  of  Western  New  York  came  to  a  region  which 
was  not  figuratively,  but  literally,  a  howling  wilderness. 
Far  from  neighbors,  far  from  the  church,  the  school,  the 
physician,  they  were  deprived  of  many  of  what  seem  to 
their  descendants,  to  be  the  essentials  of  life. 

Many  of  them  were  soldiers  who  had  been  with  General 
Sullivan  in  his  successful  expedition  against  the  Iroquois. 
They  remembered  the  sparkling  Seneca,  the  bright  Cay- 
uga,  and  the  fertile  cornfields  of  the  beautiful  lake  coun- 
try, so  beautiful,  diversified  as  it  is,  by  glen  and  lake, 
and  forest,  that  it  has  been  called  "the  Switzerland  of 
America;"  so  fertile  that  it  tempted  even  the  Indian  to 
the  pursuit  of  agriculture.  No  sooner  was  the  war  ended, 
than  one  by  one,  or  in  little  companies,  the  Continentals 
retraced  their  steps,  coming  now,  not  with  the  sword,  but 
with  the  plowshare.  One  of  these  soldiers  turned  the 
first  furrow  between  the  lakes. 

As  we  look  about  us,  we  see  the  truth  of  the  adage  that 
the  triumphs  of  peace  are  greater  than  those  of  war. 
The  pioneer  seems  to  do  more  for  us  than  the  soldier,  but 
the  soldier  must  precede  the  pioneer.  The  axe,  the  bay- 
onet, the  torch  of  General  Sullivan  cleared  the  way  for 
the  plow,  the  spade,  the  anvil,  of  the  early  settlers.  Much 
has  been  done  for  us;  may  we  do  much  for  others, inspir- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  197 

ed  to  noble  endeavors  by  the  remembrance  of  the   sacri- 
fices made  by  our  fathers. 
May  the  poet's  be  our  Centennial  prayer : 


"O,  make  thou  us  through  centuries  long, 
In  peace  secure,  injustice  strong; 
Around  our  gift  of  freedom  draw 
The  safeguard  of  Thy  righteous  law, 
And,  cast  in  some  diviner  mold. 
Let  the  new  cycle  shame  the  old !" 


FAYETTE. 

While  no  longer  bearing  the  name  of  the  Father  of  his  Country.honors  the  name  of 
one  of  his  distinguished  generals,  and  the  inhabitants  of  her  historic  soil,  from  lake  to 
lake,  and  from  Canoga,  the  birth-place  of  Red  Jacket,  to  Skoi-yase,  do  honor  to  Gen- 
eral Sullivan  and  his  army. 

Responded  to  by  ME.  SAMUEL  MclNTOSH,*  as  follows  : 
Mr.  President;— 

I  come  from  the  birth-place  of  Red  Jacket — not  by  the 
narrow  trail  (now  obliterated,  and  crossed  and  re-crossed 
by  many  people,  here  to-day,)  made  by  Sullivan  and  his 
army  on  their  way  to  the  battlefield  of  the  Skoi-yase— 
but  over  a  good  and  broad  road,  running  through  well 
cultivated  farms,  on  which  are  built  fine  dwellings  and 
commodious  barns,  and  occupied  by  a  thrifty  and  indus- 
trious yeomanry. 

How  changed  is  the  face  of  nature  in  Fayette  in  a 
century  ;  (the  last  forty  years  of  which  I  have  lived 
therein;)  then  a  dense  wilderness,  occupied  by  savages 
having  undisputed  possession  of  the  soil,  and  now  the 
happy  abode  of  a  people  in  a  high  state  of  civilization, 
and  occupying  it  without  molestation  from  within  or 
without !  Would  this  change  have  taken  place,  had  not 
General  Sullivan  and  his  heroes  destroyed  the  power  of 
the  Iroquois,  and  silenced  them  forever  ?  Should  we  not 
then  offer  thanks  and  gratitude  to  these  heroes  for  the 


*Mr.  Mclntosh  was  unable,  by  reason  of  illness,  to  respond  to  this  sentiment  on  the 
day  of  the  celebration,  but  kindly  sent  a  manuscript  copy  of  his  response. 


198  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

great  work  they  have  done  for  the  pioneers  and  their  de- 
scendants of  the  town  of  Fayette  ?  They  opened  the  way 
for  the  pale-face  to  fell  the  forest  and  erect  his  cabin,  and 
live  in  it  without  fear  and  trembling.  Campaigning  was 
the  order  of  the  day,  before  and  since  the  Christian  era, 
and  ever  will  be,  till  all  people  adopt  the  Golden  Rule  of 
Christian  ethics,  "Do  unto  others  as  you  would  have 
them  do  unto  you." 

The  great  question  is,  shall  we  and  our  descendants 
always  have  possession  of  these  happy  homes  in  Seneca 
county,  or  may  not  another  race,  as  different  from  our 
own  as  the  Indians,  away  down  in  the  coming  centuries, 
send  a  victorious  army  and  sack  the  villages,  fire  the 
dwellings  and  cornfields,  and  drive  the  women  and  chil 
dren  to  the  caves  and  caverns  of  the  earth,  and  repeat 
what  has  been  done  in  Waterloo,  this  day  one  hundred 
years  hence  ?  Disunion  can  be  accomplished  by  corrupt 
politicians  and  statesmen,  and  the  union  of  the  ten  towns 
of  Seneca  destroyed  by  their  traitorous  acts.  If  one  of 
these  towns  should  secede  and  get  on  the  high  horse  of 
rebellion,  the  lash  and  the  spur  should  be  applied  without 
immediate  mercy,  till  she  takes  her  place  in  the  line  of 
the  union.  I  am  not  allowed  to  travel  in  my  remarks  out 
of  the  county  of  Seneca,  but  this  is  a  sufficient  illustration 
of  my  views. 

Sullivan  was  from  boyhood  hardened  by  voluntary 
labor  and  exertion,  and  graduated  as  a  soldier,  not  from 
a  military  school,  but  from  the  battlefields  of  the  revolu- 
tion. Washington  well  knew  he  was  the  man  for  the 
mission,  and  how  well  he  filled  it,  the  people  of  Seneca 
have  answered  to-day.  To  the  patriot  and  hero  LaFayette, 
(whose  name  our  town  now  bears),  who  left  honors  and 
titles,  and  a  luxurious  home  in  another  land,  to  endure  the 
toil  and  dangers  of  a  seven-years  war,  to  help  to  establish 
independence  and  liberty  in  foreign  colonies,  inhabited 
by  a  race  speaking  a  language  unknown  to  him, — we 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  199 

would  be  recreant  to  every  principle  of  manhood,  to  for- 
get him  or  to  fail  to  hand  down  his  name  to  the  remotest 
future.  The  names  of  Washington,  LaFayette  and 
Sullivan  will  be  household  words  as  long  as  our  country 
is  united  by  the  bond  of  union.  Fayette,  honored  by 
bearing  the  names  of  Washington  and  LaFayette,  has 
also  been  honored  by  having  born  and  reared  on  her  soil, 
nature's  renowned  orator,  Red  Jacket.  Having  incited 
the  braves  of  his  nation  by  his  eloquence,  before  many 
council  fires,  to  acts  of  valor,  he  lived  to  see  his  power 
broken  and  his  race  dispersed,  and  in  despair  he  exclaimed, 
with  his  wonted  eloquence,  '  'I  have  aroused  the  energies 
of  the  living,  but  I  cannot  now  animate  the  dead." 

Fayette,  the  largest  of  the  ten  sister  towns,  in  territorial 
area,  is  rich  in  soil  and  beautifully  located  by  nature, — 
and  her  western  and  eastern  boundaries  washed  by  the 
waves  of  Seneca  and  Cayuga  lakes,  and  their  crystal 
waters  kissed  by  the  morning  and  evening  sun,  extends  the 
right  hand  of  fellowship  and  welcome  to  the  people  of  her 
sister  towns,  present  at  the  great  centennial  of  1879.  A 
part  of  the  land  in  Fayette,  has  been  tilled  nearly  one 
hundred  years,  and  still  it  yields,  by  proper  cultivation, 
remunerative  crops  to  the  husbandman — proving  that  the 
strength  and  fertility  of  her  soil  are  inexhaustible.  Rom- 
ulus and  Varick  may  vie  with  each  other, about  the  beauty 
and  grace  of  their  maidens,  but  until  the  sample  presented 
here  to-day,  in  the  persons  of  the  fourteen  damsels  from 
Fayette  is  excelled,  she  claims  the  banner,  for  the  beauty 
and  grace  of  her  maidens.  Fair  and  lovely  as  the  lilies 
of  the  valley,  they  stand  as  fit  models  of  grace,  beauty 
and  loveliness. 

Fayette  has  also  the  honor  of  having  erected  within  her 
territory  a  spacious  and  convenient  alms  house,  to  be 
occupied  by  the  poor  and  unfortunate.  Although  such 
charities  were  unknown  and  would  have  been  refused  by 
the  early  pioneers  of  Seneca  county,  and  (never  having 


200  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

been  the  abode  of  an  Indian  seeking  its  hospitable  protec- 
tion), it  stands  as  a  monument  of  kindness  and  benevolence 
of  the  people  of  this  town  to  the  poor.  The  "nine  sisters" 
have  the  high  honor  also  of  having  assisted  Fayette  in 
building,  equipping  and  keeping  this  great  enterprise  in 
running  order,  by  annual  taxation. 

How  much  the  people  of  Seneca  coun<y  have  been 
blessed  in  a  century,  by  the  advancing  tide  of  civilization  ! 
Though  the  barbed  arrow  of  the  Indian  has  quivered  in 
the  bosom  of  the  white  man,  and  drank  his  life-blood,  can 
we  say  it  was  not  sent  on  its  mission  of  death  in  defense 
of  home  and  family  and  country  \  Although  nearly  all 
of  the  brave  Iroquois  have,  like  Washington,  LaFayette 
and  Sullivan,  been  gathered  to  their  fathers,  may  their 
great  anticipation  of  occupying  a  happy  hunting  ground 
beyond  this  world  of  rugged  events,  be  more  than  realized. 


JUNIUS, 

The  parent  of  towns— while  some  of  her  children  now  greatly  surpass  the  parent  in 
wealth  and  population — yet  not  in  a  bountiful  soil  and  in  a  quiet,peaceful  and  prosper- 
ous yeomanry. 

Responded  to  by  HON  W.  W.  VANDEMARK,  as  follows: 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :— 

Junius  congratulates  her  offspring  and  sister  towns  on 
this  occasion — memorial  from  the  events  of  an  hundred 
years.  We  celebrate  an  event  that  unfolded  our  present 
greatness,  giving  us  this  beautiful  county, with,  its  fertile 
soil  and  glorious  landscape,  lying  between  two  beautiful 
lakes,  whose  waters  are  as  pure  as  the  motives  of  those  who 
meet  here  to-day.  Pardon  me, if  I  allude  to  the  fact  that 
many  good  men  question  the  propriety  of  celebrating  an 
event  that  deprives  one  of  God's  children  of  bis  right- 
ful heritage,  that  a  more  powerful  people  might  enjoy 
its  benefits,  and  while  I  forbear  making  any  remarks  re- 
lative to  the  sentiment,  allow  me  to  say  that  in  this,asin 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  201 

all  modern,  social, business  or  political  arrangements, the 
spirit  prevails,  that  "might  makes  right."  Waiving  all 
questions  of  fine  ethical  distinctions,  we  meet  to-day  to 
celebrate  our  good  fortune,  because  the  deeds  of  a  hun- 
dred years  ago,  give  us  the  power  we  have,  and  our 
pleasant  surroundings. 

Junius  was  once,  geographically,  an  important  town, 
comprising  within  its  limits  the  towns  of  Seneca  Falls, 
Waterloo,  Tyre  and  a  portion  of  what  is  now  Wayne 
county.  In  1812  that  portion  now  part  of  Wayne,  was 
taken  off.  The  town  then  more  alive,  increased  in  wealth 
and  population,  until  1829,  when  a  portion  owing  to  bus- 
iness success  and  local  advantages,  became  restive  under 
parental  restraint,  and  were  let  off,  forming  the  towns  of 
Waterloo  and  Seneca  Falls — Tyre  from  instinct  went  with 
Seneca  Falls.  Since  that  departure,  Junius  has  retained 
her  present  limits,  with  a  soil  increasing  in  fertility,  and 
a  happy  and  contented  people. 

The  first  settlers  in  Junius  were  one  Bedell  and  the 
Southwicks.  Bedell  located  near  where  D.G.Stuart  now 
resides,  setting  out  the  orchard  north  of  bis  residence. 
The  Southwicks  located  near  Dublin—a  hamlet  taking 
its  name  from  an  Irishman  by  the  name  of  Moody 
who  kept  the  first  store  there.  Other  names  historical 
with  this  town,  are  Brownell,  Fisk,  Moore,  French,  Maynard, 
Thorn  and  Hart.  These  men  and  their  immediate  descend- 
ants, are  the  pioneers,  who,  with  axe  and  spade,  felled  the 
forests,  and  drained  the  marshes,  transforming  the  wild- 
erness into  the  fertile  fields, and  laying  the  foundation  of 
our  present  importance,  prosperity  and  happiness.  The 
descendants  of  these  pioneers  are  with  us  to-day,  acting 
for  the  advancement  of  town  interests.  One  particularly, 
is  not  only  honored  at  home,  but  our  sister  towns  having 
received  the  benefit  of  his  wise  counsels  and  judgment, 
have,  on  several  occasions,  honored  him  with  the  chair- 
manship of  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  an  office  he  filled 


202  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

with  acceptance,  until  the  accumulation  of  years  admon- 
ish him  to  retire  from  active  duties.  I  refer  to  the  Hon- 
orable Orin  Sonthwick. 

Junius  has  a  quiet  people, living  out  their  full  measure 
of  a  happy  life,  and  while  she  rejoices  at  the  success  of 
her  offspring,  with  their  busy  streets,  far-famed  manu- 
factories, palatial  hotels  and  residences,  from  which  she 
receives  indirectly  many  benefits, she  would  criticise,  with 
parental  mildness  and  gentleness,  that  exhibition  of  judg- 
ment that  allowed  the  partial  construction  of  a  railroad, 
that  serves  no  purpose, but  to  foster  the  growth  of  weeds 
and  afford  building  materials  an  opportunity  to  test  the 
destructive  action  of  the  elements,  and  the  wear  and  tear 
of  time. 

Again  Junius  congratulates  her  offspring  and  sisters, 
and  as  the  historic  blood  which  animated  those  intimately 
identified  with  the  past,  circulates  in  younger  veins,  we 
have  an  earnest  that  Junius  will  always  rank  number 
one,  and  in  the  future  will  cheerfully  unite  with  her  off- 
spring and  sisters,  in  celebrating  any  event  that  shall  add 
to  the  prosperity  of  the  best  county,  in  the  first  State, of 
the  greatest  nation  on  the  globe. 


LODI.  / 

The  southern  entrance  door,  through  which  most  of  the  early  settlers  of  the  south 
part  of  this  county  entered.and  whose  soil  was  first  trodden  by  General  Sullivan's  army 
upon  his  march  across  Seneca  County. 

Responded  to 'by  MR.  P.  V.  N.  BODINE,  as  follows  : 

Mr.  President:— 

The  town  of  Lodi  occupies  an  honored  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  Sullivan's  march  through  this  county.  She  was 
the  first  to  welcome  his  war-worn  veterans.  As  they  climb- 
ed from  a  deep  ravine,  on  their  northward  march,  one  hun- 
dred years  ago  to-day,  what  is  now  the  township  of  Lodi 
lay  at  their  feet,  in  all  its  native  loveliness.  Their  savage 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  203 

foe  utterly  demoralized  by  their  defeat  at  Newtown,had  left 
their  cabins,  their  cornfields  and  orchards  to  the  mercy  of 
the  invaders.  On  their  left,  the  waters  of  the  lake,  visible 
from  that  high  bluff  for  a  stretch  of  thirty  miles,  glint- 
ing in  the  morning  sun,  smiled  them  a  welcome.  Before 
them,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  to  the  north,  rose  the 
massive  forests  of  oak  and  of  maple,  whose  giant  trunks 
gave  ample  evidence  to  the  practiced  eye  of  a  yeoman 
soldiery,  of  the  depth  and  fertility  of  the  soil  whence  they 
sprung.  Ic  was  not  strange  that  many  a  man  in  the  rank 
and  file  of  that  army  should  register  a  vow  in  his  heart, 
that,  when  peace  returned,  he  would  come  again  to  this 
land  of  beauty  and  of  promise,  bringing  with  him  his 
households  gods,  and  make  himself  a  home  on  these  old 
hunting  grounds  of  the  Senecas.  They  did  not  forget  the 
vow.  In  after  years,  many  of  them  came  with  their  fami- 
lies and  their  oxen,  along  the  same  pathway  they  had  before 
helped  to  hew  out  of  the  forest,  and  over  which  they  had 
then  marched  with  knapsack  and  musket,  and  entering 
this  county  through  the  town  for  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  respond,  built  their  cabins  and  erected  their  household 
altars,  on  sunny  slopes  and  in  sheltered  valleys  all  along 
the  line  of  Sullivan' s  march.  Some  of  the  best  of  them 
stopped  in  Lodi,  and  with  strong  hearts  and  willing  hands 
subdued  the  forests  and  made  homes  and  history  for  the 
future  county  of  Seneca. 

What  a  contrast,  sir,  between  then  and  now  !  There  is 
not  to-day  in  this  region  of  country  certainly,  and  per- 
haps not  in  this  broad  land,  a  rural  township  more  beau- 
tiful for  situation  and  outlook— not  one  more  likely  to 
yield  ample  returns  to  the  labors  of  intelligent  husbandry, 
than  that  of  Lodi.  With  her  feet  planted  in  the  clear  waters 
of  Seneca  Lake,  her  once  rugged  slopes  terraced  into 
smiling  vineyards,  bearing  clusters  that  almost  rival  those 
of  Eschol,  her  fruitful  bosom  garnished  with  a  rich  and 
varied  farming  landscape  of  hill  and  vale,  teeming  with  a 


204  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

busy  and  intelligent  population,  her  head  rising  midway 
between  the*  lakes  nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  their 
level,  she  stands  the  peer,  at  least  of  her  sister  townships, 
^  in  beauty  and  fertility,  and  in  position  and  physical  con- 
formation she  stands  at  the  head  of  this  county.  From 
her  highest  point  she  can  in  one  view,  take  in  all  there 
is  of  little  Seneca,  which  lies  below  her  like  a  jewel  set  in 
the  silver  fringes  of  the  lakes,  and  from  that  same  point, 
in  one  sweep  of  her  vision,  she  can  count  Tompkins,  Cayu- 
ga,  Wayne,  Ontario,  Yates,  Livingston,  Steuben  and 
Schuyler.  In  material  wealth  she  cannot  hope  to  com- 
pete with  commercial  centers,  but  I  am  proud  to  say  that 
not  one  acre  of  her  soil  is  mortgaged  for  the  payment  of 
any  public  bond,  and  her  well- tilled  and  productive  farms 
with  their  neat  and  commodious,  and  not  a  few  elegant 
and  costly  dwellings,  her  thrifty  villages  with  their 
churches  and  their  schools,  their  shops  and  places  of  bus- 
iness, all  give  evidence  not  only  of  the  thrift,  but  also  of 
the  culture  of  her  people.  Her  moral  and  intellectual 
status  is  such  as  one  would  expect  of  a  people  descended 
from  pioneers  of  the  old  Huguenot  stock.  The  simple 
faith  and  sturdy  patriotism  of  the  fathers  have  descended 
.to  the  children.  Her  sons  have  been  honored  in  both  the 
State  and  National  halls  of  legislation,  and  have  always 
nobly  responded  when  called  to  defend,  with  the  sword, 
the  honor  and  integrity  of  our  country.  In  her  ceme- 
teries, side  by  side,  lie  soldiers  of  the  revolution,  veterans 
of  1812,  and  mutilated  forms  borne  from  the  battlefields 
of  the  great  rebellion.  We  feel,  sir,  that  Lodi  is  worthy 
of  the  place  nature  has  given  her,  worthy  of  the  position 
which  history  assigns  her,  worthy  of  the  sentiment  with 
which  you  have  this  day  honored  her.  She  has  lived  up 
to  the  measure  of  her  privileges.  Through  the  pluck  and 

perseverance  and  patriotism  of  her  pioneers,  and  the 
energy  and  intelligence  of  their  descendants,  she  has 
realized  all  that  the  glorious  campaign  of  Sullivan  made 
possible  for  her. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  205 

OVID. 

Once  having  the  sole  seat  of  justice  of  Seneca  County,  located  upon  her  classic  hills, 
shares  with  Waterloo,  in  the  government  of  the  model  little  County  of  Seneca. 

Responded  to  by  Rev.  W.  L.  HYDE,  as  follows:  , 

Mr.  President : — 

Ovid  still  continues  perched  upon  her  classic  hill,  but 
the  town  is  cut  down  from  its  original  magnitude  of 
ninety  years  ago.  Then  Ovid  with  Romulus  and  Junius, 
made  up  the  entire  of  the  military  townships  which  now 
constitute  Seneca  County, and  Ovid  held  within  itself  the 
present  beautiful  and  prosperous  towns  of  Lodi  and  Co- 
vert, and  it  seems  to  me,  if  that  individual  whoever  he  was, 
who  named  our  township,  had  stood  upon  the  principal 
eminence  of  our  town,  and  had  taken  in  the  magnificent 
panorama  of  natural  beauty,  which  stretches  out  in  every 
direction,  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  attractive  to  be 
found  in  this  or  any  other  land,  the  bright  waters  of  Seneca 
on  the  one  hand,  and  Cayuga  on  the  other ;  swift  running 
brooks,  pouring  their  abundant  waters  into  them;  with  parts 
of  what  are  now  nine  counties,  looming  up  in  the  distance, 
near  or  remote  ;  a  most  fertile  soil  before  him,  sloping  so 
gently  toward  either  lake,  as  to  give  the  best  facilities  for 
drainage,  and  to  present  the  sweetest  face  to  the  morning 
or  post  meridian  sun,  he  would  have  hesitated  before 
imposing  the  name  of  that  old  Roman  heathen  upon  this 
spot,  and  would  have  given  it,  one  of  those  significant 
and  musical  Indian  names  of  which  we  have  some  yet 
left  to  us,  in  Canoga.  Kendaia,  Kanadasaga,  names  that 
have  in  them  the  wildness  and  sweetness  of  notes  of  the 
forest  bird,  names  that  have  the  freshness  of  the  virgin 
soil,  and  should  have  been  left  upon  the  soil  as  memen- 
toes of  its  original  inhabitants. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  the  same  year  that  Washington 
was  inaugurated  President,  seven  enterprising  men  from 
the  northern  part  of  Pennsylvania,  four  brothers  Dun- 


206  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

lap,  Joseph  Wilson,  Hugh  Jimeson  and  William  Roberts, 
after  having  traveled  almost  the  entire  circuit  of  Seneca 
Lake,  determined  to  locate  within  the  limits  of  the  pre- 
sent town  of  Ovid.  About  a  half  mile  south-west  of  the 
site  of  our  village  cemetery,  they  built  a  log  cabin,  as 
joint  property,  staked  oat  their  claims,  sowed  wheat, 
then  leaving  William  Dunlap  to  watch  iheir  work  through 
the  long  winter,  they  went  back  to  Pennsylvania  to  re- 
turn with  their  families  in  the  spring.  Andrew  Dunlap 
made  his  permanent  home  on  lot  number  eight.  His  barn 
which  is  still  standing,  and  whose  huge  oak  timbers  look 
as  if  there  must  have  been  giants  in  the  early  days  to 
handle  them,  served  as  a  court  house  for  the  early  set- 
tlers. We  read  that  the  twin  seat  of  justice  of  Ovid, 
while  a  part  of  Onondaga  County,  in  an  early  day,  was 
not  here  in  Waterloo,  but  in  the  corn  house  of  Comfort 
Tyler,  at  Aurora.  Which  was  the  most  inspiring  to  the 
lawyers  of  that  day,  the  smell  of  hay,  or  of  corn, history 
saith  not,  perhaps  it  was  the  juice  of  corn.  These  early 
settlers  of  our  town,  were  energetic, industrious  men, many 
of  them  of  marked  individuality,  which  they  have  be- 
queathed to  their  descendants. 

The  Dunlaps,  the  Kinnies,  the  Wilsons,  the  Seeleys, 
more  intimately  related  to  Ovid  as  jt  is  now,  the  Halseys, 
Posts,  Demotts,  Coverts,  Ditmars,  Smiths  and  Bodines, 
have  left  their  enduring  record  in  the  land  on  which  they 
.toiled,  the  institutions  they  helped  to  rear, and  the  char- 
acter of  their  descendants. 

How  like  the  tale  of  romantic  adventure,  reads  the  story 
of  Judge  Halsey's  journey  from  Southampton,  L.  L,  in 
the  year  1792 ;  pushing  his  way  on  from  Schenectady  by 
the  Mohawk,  Oneida  Lake,  and  Oneida  and  Seneca  Riv- 
ers, to  Seneca  Lake,  having  to  carry  his  batteaux  over 
various  portages.  After  reaching  his  point  of  destination, 
clearing  up  his  lot,  building  his  cabin,  sowing  wheat, 
planting  the  seeds  of  an  orchard,  all  in  this  one  season, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  207 

and  thus  having  prepared  the  way  for  his  family,  he  re- 
traced his  steps  homeward  by  the  same  route, and  after  the 
next  winter  was  over,  took  several  families  with  him  along 
the  way  traversed  the  year  before.  This  Judge  Halsey, 
ten  years  afterward,  when  Ovid  was  organized  into  a 
town,  and  he  was  chosen  supervisor, found  an  obstacle  to 
his  performing  the  duties  of  the  office,  from  the  fact  that 
there  was  no  justice  of  the  peace  near,  before  whom  he 
could  take  the  necessary  oath,  but  he  was  equal  to  the 
emergency.  He  was  already  justice  of  thepeace,so  what 
should  he  do,  but  swear  himself  in  as  supervisor. 

Not  only  were  these  early  settlers  law  abiding,  God- 
fearing, industrious  men,  but  they  sought  to  surround 
themselves  with  the  means  of  culture  and  education. 
When  the  first  preacher's  advent  was  announced.  Judge 
BeMott  says  the  whole  settlement  was  notified.  The 
people  left  their  summer  work,  hastily  constructed  a 
brush  house  to  shelter  them  from  the  sun,and  made  seats 
of  cleft  logs,  thus  giving  the  preacher  the  best  welcome 
their  rude  circumstances  would  allow.  As  early  as  1825, 
they  built  a  three-story  brick  building  tor  an  academy, 
the  first  school  of  this  kind  in  the  county,  and  established 
at  once  a  first  grade  school,  which  has  sent  out  a  large 
number  of  pupils,  who  have  been,  and  still  are,  occupying 
places  of  usefulness  and  honor. 

It  should  have  fallen  upon  some  descendant  of  Ovid's 
first  settlers  to  commemorate  their  enterprise  and  work, 
but  as  it  has  been  put  upon  me,  I  am  glad  to  bear  my 
humble  testimony,  and  will  close  with  this  remark: 

However  we  may  feel  attached  to  the  localities  where  we 
have  our  homes,  yet  we  must  all  feel  a  just  pride  in  this  most 
beautiful  and  fertile  region  which  embraces  all  our  homes, 
and  well  may  we  honor  those  intrepid  heroes  of  a  hundred 
years  ago,  whose  war-like  prowess  cleared  the  pathway 
for  our  early  pioneers.  » 


208  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

ROMULUS, 

Not  like  ancient  Rome,  the  ruler  of  the  world,  but  the  home  of  an  honest,  sturdy, 
patriotic  yeomanry. 

Responded  to  by  REV.  L.  J.  GROSS,  as  follows: 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :— 

I  am  not  here  to  eulogize  the  town  of  Romulus.  It 
has  been  well  said  that,  a  man  whose  chief  pride  is  in  his 
ancestors,  is  very  much  like  a  potato — the  best  part  of 
him  is  under  ground.  That  Romulus  is  not  like  ancient 
Rome,  the  ruler  of  the  world,  is  true ;  but  if  "in  that 
elder  day,  to  be  a  Roman  was  greater  than  a  king,"  I  can 
safely  say  that  to  be  known  as  an  honest,  sturdy,  patri- 
otic citizen  of  the  town  of  Romulus,  is  higher  honor  than 
was  ever  enjoyed  by  "the  noblest  Roman  of  them  all." 
I  will  not  assert,  that  nature  has  stamped  the  ten  com- 
mandments upon  the  faces  of  all  our  townsmen,  but  that 
Romulus,  like  old  England,  "expects  every  man  to  do  his 
duty,"  is  certain.  So  much  we  may  claim,  without  pre- 
tension on  the  one  hand,  or  detraction  on  the  other. 

As  regards  the  place  that  Romulus  fills  in  the  history 
of  Seneca  County,  our  town  historian,  E.  Seeley  Bartlett 
Esq.,  will  fully  inform  you.  Some  incidents,  however, 
of  the  record  of  Romulus,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  men- 
tion. Romulus  can  boast  of  no  court-house,  jail,  or 
practicing  lawyer — the  last  fact  perhaps  accounts  for  the 
tranquility  we  enjoy.  The  first  church  organization  in 
Seneca  County  was  the  Romulus  Baptist  church,  in  1795. 
One  of  its  first  pastors,  Rev  John  Caton,  was  the  com- 
rade of  Washington  and  Lafayette.  The  first  represen- 
tative of  Seneca  County  in  our  State  legislature,  was 
Judge  John  Sayre  of  Romulus.  Seneca  County  has  also 
honored  herself  by  sending  other  Romulus  men  to  rep- 
resent her  in  the  councils  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
Their  terms  of  office  cover  a  period  of  eleven  years.  The 
first  man  in  Seneca  County  to  emancipate  his  slaves  was 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  209 

William  Seeley  of  the  town  of  Romulus.  This  was  done 
in  1794.  The  organization  of  the  first  medical  board  of 
Seneca  County  was  effected  by  a  Romulus  physican,  Dr. 
Ethan  Watson.  The  records  tell  us  that  twenty  Romulus 
men  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  fifty  in  the 
war  of  1812.  Degorry  Prowtt,  a  Romulus  man,  was  a 
drummer  in  Sullivan'.s  command  ;  he  lies  buried  in  the 
old  McDuffietown  cemetery  ;  and  while  others  are  justly 
praising  the  heroic  dead,  I  would  give  some  tribute  to  the 
drummer  boy  of  the  long  ago,  who  beat  his  drum  to  en- 
courage his  general  to  beat  the  red  skins.  To  show  that 
the  old  patriotic  fervor  did  not  die  with  the  sires  of  the 
revolution,  I  need  only  refer  you  to  the  war  record  of  the 
50th,  148th,  lllth  and  126th  regiments  of  New  York  vol- 
unteers. 

"With  malice  toward  none  and  with  charity  for  all," 
I  may  truthfully  quote  the  words  of  a  New  England 
writer,  and  claim  that  Romulus  also  "produces  the 
handsomest  girls,  the  truest  wives,  the  noblest  mothers, 
and  the  most  glorious  old  maids  in  the  world." 

Mr.  President,  "honest,  sturdy,  patriotic  yeomanry" 
are  the  leaven  of  American  society.  Such  were  the  men 
who  marched  to  the  bugle  call  of  Sullivan ;  such  were  the 
heroes  of  Gettysburg ;  such,  we  hope,  will  be  the  legacy 
of  Romuhis  to  the  future. 


SENECA  FALLS. 

The  earliest  settled  and  most  populous  town  of  the  county ;  the  enterprise  ol  her  cap- 
italists and  the  skill  of  her  mechanics  have  made  her  name  and  manufactures  Known 
throughout  the  world. 

Responded  to  by  HON.  GILBERT  WILCOXEN,  as  follows  : 
Mr.  President: — 

As  I  have  been  selected  by  the  committee  to  speak  for 
the  town  of  Seneca  Falls,  it  being  a  part  of  our  creed 
never  to  refuse  to' do  anything  required  of  us,  (unless  it 


210  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

is  to  pay  town  railroad  bonds,)  and,  however   embarras- 
sing it  is  for  a  lawyer  to  talk, I  must  obey  instructions. 

I  think  it  may  be  safel}T  predicted  that  hereafter  no 
ruthless  invader  will  dare  attempt  the  destruction  of  Skoi- 
yase;  it  is  too  near  Seneca  Falls  for  that. 

Seneca  Falls  has  no  court  house  or  jail,  (perhaps  we 
ought  to  have,)  yet  the  whole  county  can  bear  witness 
that  we  do  our  full  share  towards  keeping  these  invalua- 
ble aids  to  civilization  in  operation. 

Without  the  village  of  Seneca  Falls  where  to-day  would 
be  the  market  for  the  agricultural  products  of  the  neigh- 
boring towns  ? — bullheads  from  Tyre,  squashes  from  Wa- 
terloo, and  sour-kraut  from  Fayette. 

But,  seriously,  Mr.  President :  In  the  sentiment  that 
has  been  given,  Seneca  Falls  is  referred  to  as  the  first  set- 
tled and  the  most  populous  town  of  the  county.  We  are 
happy  to  have  with  us  to-day  one  who  came  with  the  first 
settler  (Lawrence  Van  Cleef)  ninety  years  ago — probably 
the  oldest  living  pioneer  of  our  county — Mrs.  Polly 
Chambers. 

In  the  various  subdivisions  that  have  from  time  to  time 
been  made,Seneca  Falls  is,in  extent  of  Jerri  tory,  the  small- 
est, save  one,  of  the  county.  But  from  the  favored  location 
of  her  village,  surrounded  with  rich  farming  lands,  the  pro- 
ducts of  which  have  here  ever  found  a  ready  marker,  com- 
bined with  the  enterprising  spirit  that  has  always  charac- 
terized her  people,  she  has  become  the  first  in  wealth,  in 
population  and  in  manufactures.  Situated  on  the  beautiful 
stream,  that,  like  a  ribbon  of  silver,  connects  the  crystal 
waters  that  gently  wash  the  sunset  shores  of  our  county 
with  the  lovely  Cayuga  that  first  greets  the  mornrng  sun 
— its  dashing  current  that  to  our  pioneers  made  only  na- 
ture's music,  has  been  utilized  till  the  whole  atmosphere 
nowresounds  with  the  hum  of  industry;  aspirit  of  progress 
as  untiring  as  her  revolving  wheels, has  stimulated  her  var- 
ious business  enterprises  and  contributed  to  her  steady 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  211 

and  constant  advancement. 

The  smoke  of  the  wigwam  of  a  century  since,  has  given 
place  to  that  of  the  forge.  To  the  cabin,  nestled  lowly 
beneath  the  shady  trees  on  the  river's  bank,  have  suc- 
ceeded stately  manufactories,  that,  with  their  busy  throngs 
of  intelligent  mechanics,  have  tilled  our  streets  with  their 
wares  and  sent  their  products  to  every  part  of  the  civil- 
ized world. 

The  character  of  our  business,  has,  within  a  few  years, 
greatly  changed.  Seneca  Falls  was  once  the  centre  of  an 
extensive  grain  trade.  Its  market  was  inferior  to  none,and 
in  the  production  of  flour  it  was  second  only  to  Roches- 
ter and  Oswego  in  the  State.  Its  nine  flouring  mills,  with 
ninety-five  run  of  stone,  have  been  reduced  to  four, with 
barely  eighteen  run — its  production  of  flour,  from  two 
thousand  barrels  per  day,  to  now  less  than  two  hundred 
for  export,  not  a  pound  of  which  finds  its  way  to  the  sea- 
board. The  unjust  discriminations  of  railroad  monopo- 
lies has  nearly  ruined  our  grain  market,  and  effectually 
killed  the  milling  interest.  It  has  alike  injuriously  affect- 
ed the  village  and  county,  the  products  of  our  farms  and 
our  factories,  and  added  materially  to  the  cost  of  mer- 
chandise from  ihe  east. 

Notwithstanding  these  various  disadvantages,  our  capit- 
alists and  the  inventive  genius  and  cunning  skill  of  our 
mechanics,  have  overcome  these  adverse  circumstances, 
so  that  our  town  has  become  prosperous  and  wealthy 
through  other  and  more  skilled  productions. 

Seneca  Falls  has  a  history  that  it  may  not  be  altogether 
vanity  to  regard  with  pride.  The  history  of  the  town  and 
of  its  prominent  men,  is  common  property.  Not  to  men- 
tion those  now  active  in  business  pursuits  who  are  to-day 
giving  a  character  to  the  place  that  is  a  credit  to  our  whole 
county — among  the  many  who  have  passed  away  and 
left  the  impress  of  their  characters  upon  the  community, 
the  town, county  and  State;  whose  history  is  as  imperish- 

14. 


SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

able  as  the  records  o.f  our  county, and  is  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  growth  of  the  town  and  the  fondest 
recollections  of  its  inhabitants — the  familiar  names  Myn- 
derse,  Tillman,  Sackett,  Bascom, Payne,  Dey,Downs, Dan- 
iels, Seymour,  Chamberlain,  Johnson,  Cowing  and  Part- 
ridge, will  long  be  held  in  honored  remembrance. 

Mr.  President,  with  the  past  to  inspire,  the  present  to 
stimulate,  and  the  future  for  our  children,  before  us,  may 
we  not  hope  that  a  century  hence,  they  may  rejoice  as  we  do 
to-day,  in  hallowed  recollections,aud  as  a  united, prosper- 
ous and  happy  people. 


TYRE. 

Unlike  her  ancient  namesake,  without  a  seaport,  except  the  ports  upon  the  line  of 
the  canals— is  also  unlike  ancient  Tyre,  in  being  the  home  of  a  law-abiding,  God-fearing 
people. 

Responded  to  by  MK.  E.  F.  STRONG,  as  follows: 
Fellow  Citizens,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  :— 

As  a  modest  citizen  of  a  purely  agricultural,  and  there- 
fore, unpretentious  township,  I  trust  you  will  not  think 
me  vain  or  presuming,  if  in  responding  to  the  sentiment 
just  read,  in  behalf  of  the  town  which  I  have  the  honor 
to  represent  on  this  occasion,  any  seemingly  pretentious 
assertions  be  made.  We  claim  nothing  on  account  of  our 
name.  To  us,  it  is  as  if  a  well  preserved  but  antiquated 
old  hat  once  worn  by  somebody's  great-grand-father,  were 
put  upon  the  head  of  a  good  looking  young  man  at  his 
majority,  and  he  compelled  to  wear  it.  It  may  give  him 
a  comical,  venerable  look,  but  it  cannot  make  him  old. 
So  we  will  patiently  wear  the  old  tile,  until  we  get  a  bet- 
ter. It  cannot  make  us  old.  We  are  but  fifty  at  the 
most — one  of  the  youngest  of  Seneca's  townships. 
Young,  vigorous,  growing,  and  full  of  life,  nothing  in 
our  surroundings  is  suggestive  of  such  a  name,  un- 
less the  tide  of  commerce  along  our  borders,  the  fin-ity 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  213. 

of  our  waters,  or  a  place  for  the  spreading  of  nets  have 
a  remote  allusion  to  that  ancient  city.  With  a  popu- 
lation less  than  any  of  our  county  towns,  we  have 
carpenters  and  masons  to  build  our  houses,  black- 
smiths and  wheelwrights  to  make  or  mend  our  carriages 
and  implements,  shoe-makers  to  cobble  our  soles — suffi- 
cient for  our  needs,  one  miller  to  grind  our  grain,  one 
merchant  of  various  commodities,  by  the  print  or  yard 
or  pound,  teachers  for  our  schools — plenty  (three)  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel  to  minister  to  our  spiritual  necessities, 
and  one  physician  who  doctors  our  bodily  and  physical 
ailments  by  administering  medicine  as  an  allopathist, 
and  our  moral  obliquities  and  deficiencies  by  administer- 
ing law  and  justice  as  a  homoepathist.  Rumsellers  none  ; 
years  ago  they  were  obliged  to  quit.  Lawyers  none ;  no 
one  has  been  invited ;  no  one  has  manifested  a  desire  to 
make  his  home  with  us.  Why  not  ?  Query — If  all  the 
towns  of  this  county  would  adopt  this  position  of  Tyre, 
would  not  the  burthen  of  taxation  pass,  and  the  county 
of  Seneca  enter  upon  a  career  of  prosperity  such  as  she 
has  not  attained  in  all  the  past  century  \  We  have  none 
of  the  outward  show  of  wealth  ;  no  palatial  residences  ; 
no  monied  corporations  ;  no  railroad  as  yet  crosses  our 
borders,  but  the  ring  of  the  bell,  the  whistle  of  the  engine, 
and  the  roar  of  the  train,  reach  us  from  every  side.  In 
comparison  with  other  county  towns,  the  variety,  quality 
and  quantity  of  our  fruits,  are  second  to  none.  And  in 
proportion  to  our  acreage,  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
our  cereals,  are  equal  to  any.  Tyre  has  no  bonded  debt, 
or  any  other,  unless  it  be  a  debt  of  thankful  remembrance 
of  that  band  of  noble  pioneers,  whose  herculean  labors, 
amid  privation,  and  want  and  sickness  and  suffering, 
changed  and  transformed  the  wilderness  of  wood  and 
fern,  to  pleasant  homes,  and  fields  and  farms.  The  pio- 
neers are  gone.  Their  deeds  should  be  ever  green  in  our 
memories.  Again,  as  we  stir  the  generous  soil,  or  drop 
the  dry  seed  into  its  prolific  bosom,  or  gather  its  bounti- 


214  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

ful  harvests,  we  acknowledge  an  ever  increasing  debt  of 
grateful  heartfelt  thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  that 
"The  lines  are  fallen  unto  us  in  pleasant  places— yea,  we 
have  a  goodly  heritage." 

We  do  claim  to  be  a  "law  abiding,  God-fearing  peo- 
ple"— to  be  the  equals  of  any  in  love  of  country,  in 
fealty  to  our  government,  in  obedience  to  its  laws,  and  in 
readiness  with  our  fortunes,  or  our  lives,  if  necessary,  to 
uphold  or  defend  the  stars  and  stripes — that  glorious  old 
flag  of  our  union.  Nor  is  this  an  empty  boast.  We  point 
with  honest  pride  to  the  war  record  of  the  great  rebel- 
lion, where  every  requisition  upon  the  town  of  Tyre  for 
men  or  money  will  be  found  fully,  honestly,  met  and  filled. 
Leaving  the  recital  of  the  stirring  events,  and  far-reach- 
ing consequences  resulting  from  the  day  we  celebrate,  to 
others,  and  gratefully  acknowledging  our  share  of  the 
good  it  brought  to  us,  permit  me,  in  closing  this,  perhaps, 
too  lengthy  response,  to  say,  that  in  this  day  of  glorious 
adulation  and  gratulation,  it  seemed  right  that  Tyre 
should  "blow  her  own  horn,"  that  others  might  know, 
that  we  are  not  that  antiquated  fossil  that  our  venerable 
name  might  lead  them  to  infer.  Although  with  becoming 
decorum  we  have  borne  aloft  that  old  hat  for  fifty  years, 
we  are  young  yet,  tolerably  good  looking,  middling  well- 
to-do,  and'  claim  together  with  you,  to  be  a  part  and 
parcel  of  this  great,  growing  irrepressible  nation. 


VARICK. 

The  central  town  of  the  county ;  the  youngest  of  the  Seneca  tribe ;  her  beautiful  do- 
main only  limited  by  the  charming  lakes— Cayuga  and  Seneca:  in  name  she  honors  a 
revolutionary  patriot — Colonel  Richard  Varick.the  trusted  Secretary  of  General  George 
Washington. 

Responded  to  by  the  REV.  J.  WILFORD  JACKS,  as  follows  : 

Mr.  President: — 

In  our  estimation,  there  can  be  but  one  reason  why 
Yarick  should  have  selected  one  of  her  youngest  citizens 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  215 

to  represent  her  on  this  proud  occasion. 

She,  the  youngest  of  the  family  group,  thought  it  not 
in  keeping  with  her  relative  history  to  invite  one  of  her 
venerable  sires  to  tell  her  story,  but  has  kindly  asked  one 
of  her  youngest  sons  to  open  her  record. 

The  family  group  always  regard  the  youngest  child 
with  more  than  usual  favor.  In  charity  they  overlook 
his  faults.  So,  if  the  youngest  child  of  the  county  shall 
seem  to  boast  to-day,  her  staid  older  brothers  and  sisters 
will  surely  forgive. 

Varick  was  born  and  christened  February  6th,  1830. 
The  nine  other  towns  received  her  with  glad  expectancy, 
and  ever  since  have  lent  her  a  helping  hand. 

Her  territory  was  once  a  part  of  the  township  of  Romu- 
lus, and  ever  since  the  division,  the  parent  has  regarded 
the  child  with  tenderness,  and  their  mutual  relations, 
both  in  church  and  state,  have  been  so  intimately  blended, 
as  to  be  almost  identical. 

The  location  of  Varick  is  charming ;  the  morning  sun- 
light does  not  touch  her  shores  till  it  has  greeted  the 
waters  of  the  beautiful  Cayuga,  and  the  evening  sun 
kisses  her  good  night,  across  the  peaceful  Seneca. 

Her  name  does  not  remind  you  of  carnage,  of  desperate 
fields  of  blood,  as  do  Lodi  and  Waterloo.  We  do  not 
boast  a  name  which  reminds  us  of  ancient  heroes  or  classic 
lore,  as  do  the  names  of  Junius  and  Ovid,  of  Romulus 
and  Tyre  ;  but  we  honor  the  name  of  one  of  the  purest  of 
American  patriots,  the  best  of  men  and  an  earnest  Chris- 
tian, Colonel  Richard  Varick,  a  hero  of  the  revolution. 
A  lawyer  by  profession,  when  the  war  broke  out,  he  im- 
mediately tendered  his  services  to  his  country.  He  fought 
in  the  memorable  battles  of  Stillwater  and  Saratoga  in 
1777,  which  resulted  in  the  surrender  of  General  Bur- 
goyne.  Soon  he  was  transferred  to  West  Point,  and  then 
became  confidential  secretary  of  General  Washington. 
He  was  afterward  Recorder  of  the  city  of  New  York  ;  was 


216  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

elected  to  the  Assembly  of  New  York  twice,  and  served 
as  Speaker  both  years  ;  was  afterward  Attorney-General, 
and  for  twelve  years  was  Mayor  of  the  city  of  New  York, 
the  longest  period  any  one  has  served  in  that  capacity 
since  the  Revolution.  His  later  life  was  devoted  to.phil 
anthropic  and  religious  objects.  He  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  American  Bible  Society  and  its  first 
Treasurer,  and  afterward,  on  the  death  of  John  Jay,  was 
elected  its  President.  His  life  was  marked  by  strict  in- 
tegrity as  a  public  man,  by  unaifected  piety  and  consist- 
ency as  a  Christian. 

The  poet  says  "What' sin  a  name?"  "Much  every 
way."  We  would  fain  believe  that  the- spirit  of  Richard 
Varick  still  abides  among  the  people  of  this  town.  Free 
from  paupers,  free  from  criminals,  it  has  been  the  home 
of  many  quiet,  virtuous  people.  We  have  few  profes- 
sional men,  but  straighc  business  men  and  industrious 
farmers,  an  honest  and  stable  people. 

As  proof  let  me  refer  you  to  the  church  which  I  have 
the  honor  to  represent,  which  retained  one  pastor  for 
twenty-one  years.  And  in  this  same  Varick,  there  is  a 
pastor  who  has  labored  with  one  people  more  than  fifty- 
eight  years,  (and  he  is  here  to-day,)  a  pastorate  whose 
continuance  is  almost  unparalleled  in  American  history— 
the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Dr.  Diedrich  Willers. 

The  speaker  for  Romulus  has  told  you  that  "you  could 
not  find  handsomer  girls,  truer  wives,  and  more  glorious 
old  maids  than  could  be  found  in  that  town." 

But  it  is  a  significant  fact  that  he  counted  the  ladies  of 

,  Varick   far   prettier  and  truer  still,   for  when  he   was 

seeking  a  wife,  he  did  not  lead  to  the  altar  one  of  those 

Romulus  fair  ones,  but  a  far  prettier  daughter  of  Varick. 

In  early  times  we  had  our  eccentric  men,  but  they  were 
true  as  steel. 

You  remember  that  memorable  wedding  at  the  hotel  of 
Jacob  Buys.  His  niece  was  to  be  married.  Before  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  217 

ceremony  he  called  the  clergyman  aside  and  asked  him 
how  many  prayers  he  was  accustomed  to  offer  during  the 
services.  The  minister  replied,  "Just  as  many  as  are  re- 
quested." "Well,  pray  twice,  this  time,"  said  Mr. 
Buys,  "for  they  are  an  awful  wicked  set  on  both  sides." 
And  when  the  groom  only  paid  him  the  customary  fee? 
one  dollar,  the  landlord  handed  him  another  dollar  to  pay 
for  the  extra  labor  performed. 

Since  the  town  of  Va.rick  was  formed  you  have  honored 
her  citizens  with  the  highest  offices  in  your  gift.  From 
her  borders  you  have  chosen  two  county  clerks  and  a 
county  treasurer  ;  four  times  has  she  represented  your 
county  in  the  Assembly. 

And  when  the  people  of  the  State  were  pleased,  for  the 
first  time  in  seventy  years,  to  call  one  of  the  citizens  of 
Seneca  to  one  of  its  highest  positions,  you  turned  in 
stinctively  to  Varick,  your  youngest  child,  (to  change  the 
figure)  the  last  discovered  star  of  the  constellation,  and 
by  an  overwhelming  majority  you  placed  in  the  chair  of 
Secretary  of  State,  that  courteous  gentleman,  that  fine 
scholar,  that  true  man,  (may  I  mention  the  name  of  that 
modest  man)  Hon.  Diedrich  Willers,  Jr.  That  name 
with  that  of  Steele  and  Burroughs  and  Dey,—  Varick  will 
not  allow  to  perish. 

Thus  we  have  endeavored  to  gather  and  weave  together 
some  of  the  more  salient  features  of  Varick' s  history. 
But  no  eloquence,  no  poetry,  no  logic  can  do  justice  to 
her  past  history.  The  fathers  have  passed  away,  leaving 
us  not  only  the  fruits  of  toil,  but  a  rich  heritage  of  char- 
acter and  true  manly  worth. 

Varick  is  proud  of  her  past  record.  May  her  future 
reputation  never  becloud  her  past ;  if  it  be  possible,  let 
her  future  deeds  be  even  more  worthy. 


218  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

WATERLOO. 

Named  in  honor  of  the  memorable  battle- field  of  Waterloo,  which  decided  the  fate 
of  nations,  and  of  the  world— occupying  the  site  of  the  ancient  Indian  village  of  Skoi- 
yase,  visited  by  General  Sullivan's  army,  a  hundred  years  ago— a  fitting  spot  upon 
which  to  erect  a  monument  to  General  Sullivan  and  his  army. 

Responded  to  by  MR.  FRED'K  L.  MANNING,  as  follows: 
Mr.  President:— 

In  responding  to  this  sentiment  in  behalf  of  the  town 
of  Waterloo,  I  may  be  permitted  to  say  that  whoever 
named  the  towns  through  which  Sullivan  marched,  ought 
to  have  had  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory,  before 
opportunity  was  given  him  to  stamp  such  inappropriate 
names  on  so  beautiful  a  portion  of  a  new  continent.  In 
this  great  country  ot  the  future,  the  very  names  should 
be  redolent  of  the  suil,or,if  exception  is  allowed,it  should 
be  such  as  gratitude  impels  in  memory  of  the  nation's 
patriots  and  statesmen.  The  Indian  words  were  musical 
and  expressive,  and  that  they  should  be  cast  aside  in  fa- 
vor of  Belgic  villages  and  Roman  Senators  is  an  offence, 
that,  viewed  from  the  standpoint  of  these  later  days,  real- 
ly assumes  the  proportions  of  a  crime. 

By  the  inexorable  and  seemingly  cruel  law  of  na- 
ture, the  strong  alone  must  possess  the  earth — the 
weak  must  yield  in  the  struggle  and  the  fittest  race 
at  last  survive.  Reason  and  observation  accept  the 
rule,yet  sentiment  lingers  sadly  at  the  thought  that  Sul- 
livan's expedition  was  but  the  advance  guard  of  a 
stronger  civilization, before  whicn  the  aboriginal  life  was 
to  be  crushed  and  wasted, as  were  its  homes  in  this  vicinity, 
a  hundred  years  ago.  The  old  names,  however,  outlive 
the  vanished  race,  and  although  oar  legislators  have  writ- 
ten in  the  statute  books  the  modern  name  of  our  village, 
still  a  portion  holds  in  common  speech,  the  name  that  Sul- 
livan knew. 

A  century  has  passed  since  his  coming.  It  has  touched 
the  wilds  he  found,  as  with  an  enchanter's  wand.  The 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION. 

trees  of  the  hunting  grounds  are  swept  away,  and  where 
the  hunter  tracked  his  game  through  almost  pathless 
woods,  broad,  fertile  fields  are  yearly  heavy  with  golden 
harvests.  The  river  in  which  he  fished,  turns  the 
wheels  of  mills  and  factory,  whose  fabrics  of  use  and 
taste  go  forth  to  other  lands  that  were  old  in  luxury  be- 
fore the  Spanish  ships  sailed  toward  the  western  seas. 
One  hundred  years  ago,  the  ground  on  which  we  stand, 
was  almost  unknown  land.  To  day,  it  is  the  very  centre 
of  the  richest  agricultural  beauty  of  the  State.  Its  bar- 
riers of  barbarism  were  cutaway  by  Sullivan's  command, 
and  the  army  of  peace  and  industry  silently  followed  the 
one  of  fire  and  sword. 

Where  then,  I  ask,  should  the  General's  monument 
better  be  builded,  than  in  the  capital  town  of  the  fairest 
county  of  that  rich  region,  which  his  expedition  rescued 
from  barbarism,  and  made  ready  for  the  sunlight  and  ac- 
tivity of  the  present  day. 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  responses  to  SENTIMENTS  FOR 
THE  TOWNS,  the  President  announced  the  following 

GENERAL   TOASTS. 

MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  SULLIVAN — and  the  officers  and 
soldiers  of  his  command— whose  services  we  this  day  com- 
memorate. 

HON.  EDWARD  SULLIVAN  of  Boston. 

THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY— Always  ready,  in  any  emer- 
gency, to  defend  and  and  preserve  the  liberties  of  our 

countrv. 

GENERAL  J.  DEAN  HAWLEY  of  Syracuse. 

THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA— In  union  there  is 

strength. 

MR.  WILLIAM  L.  STONE  of  Jersey  City,  N.  J. 


220  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

THE  SOLDIEES  OF  1812 — The  brave  men  who  carried  the 
country  safely  through  the  second  war  wilh  our  ancient 

enemy,  Great  Britain. 

ME.  JASON  SMITH  of  Tyre. 

THE  Six  NATIONS  OF  INDIANS — Once  a  great  and  pow- 
erful confederation.  "Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan?" 
Responded  to  by  HON.  BENJ.  F.  HALL  of  Auburn. 

THE  PIONEER  SETTLERS  OF  SENECA  COUNTY — A  hardy, 
industrious  band  of  workers,  to  which  we  owe  our  present 
advancement  and  prosperity. 

Responded  to  by  MR.  D.  B.  LUM  of  Seneca  Falls. 

THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK — The  Empire  State,  the  fore- 
most in  the  Union,  in  population,  wealth,  commerce,  in- 
tellectual and  material  resources. 
Responded  to  by  HON.  WILLIAM  H.  BOGART  of  Aurora. 

THE  LADIES — While  they  take  no  part  in  the  conflict  of 
arms  upon  the  battlefield — yet,  to  their  patriotic  example 
and  heroic  endurance  of  privation  and  suffering — we 
greatly  owe  the  priceless  liberties  which  we  enjoy. 

GENERAL  J.  H.  MARTINDALE  of  Rochester. 

THE  FARMERS — When  their  occupation  is  prosperous,  all 
-trades,  professions  and  classes  are  prosperous. 

MR.  WILLIAM  G.  WAYNE  of  Seneca  Falls. 

THE  MECHANICS — To  whose  enterprise  and  inventive 
skill,  Seneca  County  is  greatly  indebted. 

MR.  WILLIAM  H.  POLLARD  of  Seneca  Falis. 

THE  PRESS. 
Responded  to  by  REV.  DR.  O' SULLIVAN  of  Camillus. 

THE  JUDICIARY  AND  THE  LEGAL  PROFESSION. 
Responded  to  by  HON.  SANDFORD  R.  TENEYCKof  New 
York  City. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  221 

THE  CLERGY— Commissioned  to  proclaim  the  message 
of  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men, yet  in  time  of  war 
they  have  never  failed  to  bear  their  part,  by  voice  and 
arm,  in  support  of  their  country. 

Responded  to  by  REV.  DR.  DIEDRICH  WILLERS  of 
Varick. 

The  omission  of  several  of  the  responses  was  due  to  the 
absence  from  the  collation,  on  account  of  the  storm,  of 
several  gentlemen  to  whom  the  duty  of  responding  had 
been  assigned. 

The  committee  exceedingly  regret  that,  on  account  of 
the  absence  of  a  stenographer,  they  failed  to  secure'  for 
publication  the  very  eloquent  and  scholarly  responses  of 
HON.  WILLIAM  H.  BOGART,  HON.  S.  R.  TENEYCK,  and 
REV.  DR.  O'  SULLIVAN. 

The  remarks  of  MESSRS.  HALL,  LUM  and  WILLERS,  as 
kindly  furnished  by  them,  are  subjoined  in  the  order 
named. 


THE  SIX  NATIONS  OF  INDIANS. 

Once  a  great  and  powerful  confederation     "Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan?" 

JUDGE  BEN JAMINF.  HALL,  of  Auburn,  responded  to  this 
toast ;  and  after  returning  his  thanks  to  the  Committee 
for  inviting  him  to  attend  this  great  demonstration  and 
of  affording  him  the  pleasure  of  hearing  the  eminent 
gentlemen  who  had  addressed  the  large  concourse  from 
the  stand,  said:,  that  as  he,  the  Judge,  had  been  detailed 
to  assist  at  the  dedication  of  the  Monument,  he  thought 
General  John  S.  Clark,  of  Auburn,  who  possessed  the 
freshest  trophies  gleaned  by  any  one  from  this  field  of 
antiquity,  ought  to  have  been  called  upon  to  respond  to  this 
toast,  and  to  reveal  to  us  some  of  his  recent  discoveries. 


222  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

General  Clark  is  entitled  to  the  medal  for  his  success  in 
ascertaining  the  domestic  polity  and  political  autonomy 
of  the  Six  Nations,  the  seat  and  sweep  of  their  power,  the 
location  of  their  castles  and  villages  in  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  disposed  of 
their  conquests.  He  traced  out  the  circuit  of  General  Sulli- 
van and  aided  to  inspire  the  celebrations  at  Newtown  and 
here,  and  the  one  to  take  place  at  Aurora.  If  he  be  too- 
modest  to  rise  here  and  say  so  himself,  he  must  suffer 
the  penalty  of  silence. 

As  he,  the  Judge,  had  made  no  fresh  discoveries,  he 
ranked  only  with  the  silver  grays,  who  learned  all  they 
knew  about  Indians  a  long  time  ago.  He  knew,  long 
ago,  that  the  Six  Nations,  as  a  civic  establishment  and 
military  power,  were  the  greatest  marvel  in  our  annals  ; 
that  with  a  personal  body  of  12,000  men,  women  and 
children,  and  not  exceeding  3.000  warriors  in  the  heyday 
of  their  power,  they  reduced  nearly  or  quite,  all  the  other 
tribes  south  of  the  Lakes,  and  east  of  the  Mississippi,  to 
subjection,  and  made  them  pay  tribute  to  their  govern- 
ment, in  forms  varying  with  the  circumstances,  with  quite 
as  much  method  and  rigor,  as  the  armies  of  the  first 
Csesars  made  the  people  of  the  countries  they  conquered 
pay  tribute  to  the  Roman  Government.  It  was  a  marvel 
that  a  people  so  few  in  numbers  and  so  feeble  in  military 
strength,  should  have  been  the  most  powerful  class  of 
nations  on  the  continent.  It  was  a  marvel  that  they 
maintained  their  civil  and  military  union  so  perfectly  and 
so  long.  And  it  was  a  greater  marvel  still,  that  they  were 
able  to  make  conquest  after  conquest,  through  a  long 
succession  of  years,  and  compel  all  the  surrounding,  as 
well  as  the  subject  tribes, to  acknowledge  their  supremacy. 
And  the  more  the  affair  is  studied  by  antiquarians,  phil- 
osophers and  statesmen,  in  all  its  several  aspects,  the 
stranger  it  appears.  Beyond  all  question,  the  Six  IS  ations, 
in  all  their  internal  and  external  relations,  their  intelli- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  223 

gence,  their  methods,  and  ultimate  supremacy  over  the 
neighboring  tribes,  constitute  the  greatest  marvel  in 
American  history.  And  they  are  likely  to  stand  in  that 
relation  to  the  end  of  time. 

There  is  still  another  marvel  in  the  history  of  the  Six 
Nations,  lately  noticed  by  Governor  Seymour.  It  is  the 
marvel  that,  whilst  all  the  other  Indian  tribes  which 
formerly  occupied  the  continent,  east  of  the  Mississippi, 
have  either  become  extinct  or  greatly  reduced  in  numbers, 
there  are  as  many  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Cayu- 
gas,  Senecas  and  Tuscaroras,by  name,  on  the  several  Indian 
Reservations  in  New  York,  Canada  and  Wisconsin,  as 
there  ever  were  when  the  confederacy  was  in  the  height 
of  its  power. 

The  historian  of  the  day, the  Rev.  David  Craft,  reviewed 
the  history  of  the  Six  Nations  very  correctly  as  far  as  he 
deemed  pertinent  to  the  occasion,  and  he,  the  Judge,  com- 
mended it,  and  especially  that  part  of  it,  which  stated  that 
the  pillages  and  massacres  at  German  Flats,  Cherry  Valley 
and  Wyoming,  were  instigated  by  Sir  John  Johnson  and 
other  British  emissaries,  (and  not  because  the  Indians 
themselves  were  hostile  to  the  settlers,) — to  the  careful 
attention  of  the  generation  of  white  men  now  living  on 
their  domain  and  particularly  the  young  in  the  schools. 
The  Dutch,  who  settled  the  valleys  of  the  Hudson  and 
the  Mohawk,  and  the  valleys  of  Cherry  Creek  and  Wyo- 
ming, regarded  and  treated  the  natives  as  men— as  men 
honest  by  nature— and  not  as  the  English  settlers  of 
New  England  did— as  brutes,  without  souls  to  be  saved 
or  lost,  and  found  them  to  be,  what  the  Quakers  of  Penn- 
sylvania found  them,— harmless,  honest  neighbors.  The 
result  was,  that  the  Indians  appreciated  that  sort  of 
treatment  from  the  white  settlers,  and  appeared  to  be 
disposed  to  reciprocate  in  kind.  The  cardinal  fact  that 
those  pioneer  settlers  and  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations 
dwelt  side  by  side  in  comparative  peace  and  safety, 


224  SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

appears  to  warrant  the  assertion  that  the  responsibility 
for  the  acts  for  which  they  were  punished  by  General 
Sullivan,  rested  more  upon  the  British  Government  than 
upon  themselves.  Those  words  in  Mr.  Craft's  address 
were  apples  of  gold,  which  deserve  to  be  framed  in  pictures 
of  silver.  He  thanked  the  reverend  gentleman  with  all  his 
heart,  for  bringing  out  that  feature  of  ante-revolutionary 
history  so  prominently,  not  only  on  account  of  its  truth- 
fulness, but  because  it  furnished  him  with  the  key  note 
of  what  he  wanted  to  say  respecting  Brant  and  Logan,  as 
.representatives  of  different  classes  of  Iroquois — the  Pagan 
class  and  the  Christian  class.  In  order  to  appreciate  and 
comprehend  that  distinction,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that 
when  the  Revolutionary  war  was  pending,  all  the  Gov- 
ernors of  all  the  Colonies,  except  Connecticut  and  Rhode 
Island,  were  intense  royalists,  and  were  under  express 
instructions  from  the  British  Government  to  use  their 
utmost  endeavors  to  instigate  the  Indians  to  wage 
indiscriminate  warfare  upon  the  white  inhabitants  in 
rebellion  against  the  King,  without  respect  to  age,  sex 
or  condition  ;  that  Carleton,  the  Governor  of  Canada, 
on  the  north,  Tryon,  the  Governor  of  New  York,  and 
the  Earl  of  Dunmore,  the  Governor  of  Virginia,  on  the 
south,  undertook  to  comply  with  those  instructions  by 
hiring  the  Indians  as  soldiers,  and  that  William  Franklin, 
the  son  of  Benjamin,  the  Governor  of  the  Jerseys,  and 
John  Penn,  the  grandson  of  the  founder  William,  found 
a  way  to  avoid  the  instructions,  if  not  to  refuse  to  comply; 
that  Tryon  deputed  Sir  John  Johnson  of  Johnstown,  the 
British  Indian  Agent,  to  execute  the  instructions  sent  to 
him,  and  deserted  his  post  of  duty  for  a  place  of  safety 
on  a  ship  of  war  ;  that  Carleton  and  Johnson  together, 
hired  the  pagan  Brant  with  a  captain's  commission  and 
pay,  with  authority  to  recruit  all  the  Indians  of  the  Six 
Nations  he  could  obtain  for  soldier's  pay  and  booty  ;  and 
that  Murray  hired  a  few  southern  Indians,  and  tried  to 
hire  Logan,  the  Cayuga,  with  his  men,  to  enter  the  British 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION. 

service  and  failed,  in  consequence  of  Logan's  conversion 
to  the  pacific  anti-war  ideas  and  societies  of  the  Mora- 
vians and  Quakers.  Murray  was  an  Englishman  of  the 
first  water.  He  believed  in  the  efficacy  of  force.  He 
sent  Colonel  Cresap  with  his  backwoods  rangers  after 
him,  to  compel  him  to  serve  the  King.  Logan  retired  to 
the  Kenawa,  and  while  his  family  were  coming  to  him  in 
a  canoe  across  the  river,  Cresap' s  party  fired  at  them  and 
killed  them. 

Brant*  in  his  day  was  the  representative  of  a  class  of 
pagan  Mohawks,  who  could  be  hired  to  do  almost  anything 
for  promotion  and  money.  Logan  in  his  day  was  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  class  of  the  Cayugas  well  advanced  in 
civilization  and  as  much  above  the  class  to  which  Queen 
Esther  belonged,  as  are  the  present  Cherokees  above  the 
Sioux.  He  was  the  sachem  or  senator  of  a  large  canton 
or  department  of  Cayugas  known  and  distinguished  by 
Heckewelder,  Loskiel,  Zinzendorf  and  Weiser,  as  Chris- 
tian Indians,  well  settled  150  years  ago,  and  subsequently, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Wyalusing  and  Shamokin.  He  was 
the  second  son  of  the  famous  Shikellimus,  also  a  wise 
and  honored  sachem  of  the  Five  Nations,  and  for  five 
and  twenty  years  the  Indian  agent  for  his  people,  of  the 
Quaker  Governor  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  therefore 
well  descended.  He  married  the  beautiful  daughter  of 
Ontonegea,  another  sachem  of  the  Five  Nations.  He 
was  therefore  well  connected.  Under  the  ministrations 
of  the  Moravian  Bishop  Zeisberger,  who  administered  the 
consolations  of  the  Christian  religion  to  his  dying  father 
and  solemnized  his  marriage  with  Alvaretta,  he  was  con 
verted  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  in  or 
about  <he  year  1740,  baptized  and  christened  with  an 
English  name.  He  was  therefore  entitled  to  be  called  a 

*Brant  died  at  Brantford.in  Canada  West.in^the  year  1817,  and  was  buried  in  an  In- 
dian burying  ground  there.  Hitherto  nothing  more  than  a  plain  slab  has  marked  his 
grave  The  movements  on  this  side  of  the  lines,  to  honor  General  Sullivan,  with  mon- 
uments, has  started  the  project  over  there,  of  erecting  a  large  monument  to  him. 


226  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

Christian  as  much  as  any  of  his  whiter  neighbors. 

Logan  succeeded  his  honored  father  as  sachem  or 
senator  and  also  as  agent  for  the  Governor  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  possessed  alike  the  confidence  of  his  people 
and  of  the  provincial  authorities.  He  was  a  man  of 
mark. 

His  inclinations  to  fight, or  to  join  in  fighting, if  he  ever 
had  any  in  his  youth,  were, at  the  time  of  the  destruction 
of  his  family  by  Cresap,  apparently  subdued  by  the  in- 
fluences of  the  whites  around  him.  He  was  as  highly 
civilized  and  refined  as  the  whites.  Having  fallen  into 
the  non-resistant  peace  notions  of  the  Quakers  of  that 
province,  who  constituted  the  most  influential  citizens,  he 
was  inclined  to  be  a  peace- maker, rather  than  a  disturber 
of  the  peace.  He  was  by  precept  and  example,  a  man  of 
kindness,  hospitality  and  gentleness-  He  was  a  native 
nobleman,  of  dignified  manners  and  deportment — an  ab- 
original sage,  who  kept  aloof  from  the  French  war  be- 
tween whites,  and  intended  to  keep  out  of  the  revolution- 
ary war, between  whites.  But  the  fates  were  against  him 
— just  as  they  have  been  against  his  people  and  race  ever 
since. 

Poor  Lo,  as  you  all  know,  has  had  a  hard  race  run  on 
this  continent,  ever  since  the  white  man  found  il.  He 
has  had  a  very  hard  time  here  generally  and  specifically. 
He  has  been  doomed  to  all  sorts  of  injuries  and  sufferings 
and  to  all  sorts  of  anathemas.  In  most  of  his  situations, 
he  has  stood  as  a  target  between  hostile  interests  and 
policies  and  has  been  the  victim  of  the  arrows  of  both. 

In  1774,  Logan  persisted  in  his  peace  ideas  and  policy, 
and  for  refusing  to  take  sides  in  the  preliminary  skir- 
mishes of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  was  punished  by 
rifle  shots  aimed  at  his  head  and  by  the  massacre  of  every 
member  of  his  family — by  a  cold-blooded,  deliberate, 
ruthless  murder  of  everybody  and  everything  dear  to  his 
heart,  or  which  furnished  him  any  motive  for  living. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  227 

Quaker  as  he  was  in  his  anti-war  notions  and  habits, 
Christian  as  he  was  in  his  religious  sentiments,  that  out- 
rage was  too  much  for  his  nature  to  bear.  It  aroused  the 
latent  Indian  in  his  bosom,  to  its  highest  pitch  of  inten- 
sity. He  resolved  upon  revenge.  He  rallied  an  army  of 
Cayugas,  Delawares  and  Shawnees  and  retaliated  by 
striking  a  destructive  blow  at  Dunmore's  militia  at  Point 
Pleasant.  The  militia  staggered  from  the  effects  and 
shrank  from  another  encounter.  Dunmore  had  aroused 
a  fiercer  lion  than  he  had  expected.  Dreading  to  encoun- 
ter him  again,  he  sent  commissioners  to  him  to  sue  for 
peace.  The  commissioners  went  to  his  headquarters  and 
respectfully  sued  for  peace.  Wronged  as  he  had  been  by 
Cresap'  s  rangers,  afflicted  and  desolated  as  he  had  been, 
the  great  man  lifted  himself  up  to  the  very  summit  of  the 
sublimest  Christian  magnanimity,  and  granted  the  re- 
quest. And  he  displayed  his  magnanimity  in  a  speech  to 
the  commissioners  which  rendered  his  name  immortal. 

For  himself  he  cared  nothing.  His  line  of  descent 
was  extinct.  His  blood  ran  in  the  veins  of  no  living 
creature.  He  was  painfully  and  drearily  alone.  N  o  kith 
or  kindred  lived  to  smooth  his  dying  pillow,  to  commend 
his  soul  to  his  Maker,  to  bury  him  or  to  mourn  for  him 
when  dead.  No  tendril  of  affection  bound  him  to  earth, 
yet  for  others,  for  his  country,  he  acted  the  moral,  civil- 
ized hero  that  he  was,  and  granted  their  request.  He  sent 
the  treaty  by  the  hand  of  a  messenger  to  Governor  Dun- 
more,  that  his  sincerity  might  not  be  distrusted. 

Whether  he  died  of  a  broken  heart  or  by  violence  was 
never  certainly  ascertained.  All  that  is  positively  known 
of  his  demise  is,  that  a  few  months  after  the  treaty,  his 
lifeless  body  was  found  in  the  woods  and  buried  in  an 
Indian  cemetery  in  Pennsylvania.  Had  any  white  man 
manifested  such  remarkable  traits  and  characteristics 
under  such  trying  circumstances,  anywhere  in  the  thir- 
teen colonies  or  provinces  a  hundred  years  ago,  historians 

15. 


228  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

would  have  canonized  him  as  a  martyr  to  the  non-resis- 
tant principles  of  Fox,  and  the  religion  of  the  Saviour. 
As  Logan  was  a  distinguished  Cayuga  Sachem  and  an 
illustrious  orator,  whom  Jefferson  ranked  with  Demos- 
thenes and  Cicero,  and  as  he  was  born,  according  to  the 
traditions  preserved  by  the  survivors  of  his  tribe  (residing 
in  Canada  West  and  in  Forestville,  in  the  State  of  Wis- 
consin), in  the  ancient  fortified  Indian  castle  of  Owasco, 
within  the  precincts  of  the  present  city  of  Auburn,  now 
used  as  a  rural  cemetery,  he,  the  Judge,  as  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  cemetery,  manifested  his  own  respect  for 
his  memory  by  erecting  a  shaft  of  stone  to  his  honor  in 
that  cemetery,  over  five  and  twenty  years  ago.  It  is  a 
plain  obelisk,  fifty-six  feet  high,  inscribed  with  the  last 
words  of  his  message  to  the  Provincial  miscreant  who 
caused  the  death  of  his  family  and  ultimately  of  himself; 
and  it  is  now  respected  by  the  people  of  Auburn  as  the 
most  significant  monument  on  the  grounds. 

The  Judge  said,  in  conclusion,  that,  although  the  occa- 
sion was  very  unpropitious  for  setting  forth  the  merits 
of  any  Indian  in  comparison  with  the  merits  of  General. 
Sullivan,  and  more  so  for  anything  like  lamentation 
or  mourning  for  Logan,  he  was  glad  that  the  commit- 
tee, in  framing  their  programme  of  exercises,  had  been  so 
thoughtful  as  to  remember  him.  And  inasmuch  as  he 
had  been  called  upon  to  respond  to  the  toast,  he  was  the 
more  rejoiced, for  the  reason  that  it  afforded  him  the  oppor- 
tunity to  mention  a  feature  of  that  infamous  tragedy, 
generally  overlooked  or  forgotten,  and  which  ought  not 
to  sleep  in  oblivion. 


THE  PIONEER  SETTLERS  OF   SENECA  €OUNTY. 

A  hardy,  industrious  band  of  workers,  to  •whom  we  owe  our  present  advancemen 
and  prosperity. 

Responded  to  by  MR.  D.  B.  LUM  of  Seneca  Falls,  as  follows  : 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  229- 

Mr.  President,  Gentlemen  and  Ladies  :—  , 

Wholly  without  preparation,  I  hesitate  to  respond  to 
the  sentiment  proposed,  but  I  am  unwilling  to  let  this 
occasion  pass,  without  rendering  my  hearty  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  those  whose  remains  lie  in  honored  graves 
and  who  were  "The  Pioneer  Settlers  of  Seneca  County," 
some  ninety  years  ago,  or  ten  years  subsequent  to  Gen- 
eral Sullivan's  march  across  this  county,  which  we 
celebrate  to-day. 

General  Sullivan  accomplished  his  mission  in  a  few 
weeks  of  sanguinary  war.  His  mission  was  to  destroy. 
The  Pioneer  Settlers  of  Seneca  County  had  a  nobler  mis- 
sion. Theirs  was  a  mission  of  peace,  but  far  more  difficult 
of  accomplishment  than  Sullivan's.  They  came  to  sub- 
jugate the  forest.  They  came  to  dispute  with  the  beasts 
of  the  forest,  the  right  of  eminent  domain  (so  to  speak), 
to  exercise  dominion  over  this  fair  land ;  and  although 
their  mission  was  one  of  peace,  theirs  was  a  most  formi- 
dable work.  It  is  almost  impossible  at  this  day,  for  one 
unfamiliar  with  life  in  a  wilderness  country,  to  appreciate 
the  difficulties,  the  dangers  and  privations,  which  had  to 
be  endured  by  those  who  built  and  occupied  our  first  log 
cabins,  far  apart  in  the  woods,  artificial  commas  on 
nature1  s  page — signifying  a  brief  rest. 

And,  sir,  it  has  been  by  the  toil  and  sweat  and  suffer- 
ings of  those  first  families,  that  the  foundations  of  our 
present  prosperity  and  of  our  social  fabric  have  been 
cemented.  It  is  to  their  privations,  their  patient  endurance, 
and  their  persistent  and  determined  efforts  to  conquer 
every  obstacle,  that  we  are  indebted  for  whatever  we  en- 
joy of  moral  and  social  privileges  with  the  many  bless- 
ings of  civilization.  Time  presses  and  forbids  extended 
remarks.  I  regret  my  inability  to  do  full  justice  to  their 
memories  and  their  virtues.  It  is  no  uncommon  boast 
with  man  to  claim  association  with  the  <  'first  families" 
of  the  land — and  I  must  confess  to  a  weakness  in  that 


230  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

direction  myself.  I  too  can  emphatically  claim  intimate 
association  with  the  "first  families  of  Seneca  County," 
some  of  whom  (whose  children  were  once  my  neighbors 
or  playmates)  I  will  mention,  that  their  names  may  be 
preserved  for  our  next  Centennial,  in  1979,  viz. :  Lawrence 
Van  Cleef,  the  Revolutionary  soldier,  whose  two  daugh- 
ters are  here  to-day — the  eldest,  Mrs.  Polly  Chambers, 
aged  ninety-three  years,  came  to  Seneca  Falls  with  her 
parents  in  1789,  and  is  the  sole  survivor  of  the  pioneers 
of  that  year — James  Bennett,  Benajah  Boardman,  Ezekiel 
Crane,  Peter  and  Ezra  DeGarmo,  Messrs.  Beadle,  South- 
wick,  Bowdish,  Green,  Samuel  Bear,  Job  Smith,  the 
Dunlaps,  Halseys  and  Wilsons,  Fawcetts,  Kinnes,  Wis- 
ners,  Coverts,  Deys,  with  many  others,  among  whom  I 
must  not  omit  to  mention  Colonel  Wilhelmus  Mynderse, 
the  first  business  man  to  open  a  set  of  account  books  in 
the  territory  of  this  County — which  books  were  kept  in 
pounds,  shillings  and  pence  (£.  s.  d.)  and  are  now  in  pos- 
session of  the  Waterloo  Historical  Society. 

The  pioneer  settlers  of  Seneca  County  were  but  human. 
They  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  follow  them. 
If  they  had  faults,  (and  who  has  not  ?)  let  them  be  written 
in  sand — but  let  their  virtues  be  traced  in  marble  ! 


THE  CLERGY. 

Commissioned  to  proclaim  the  message  of  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men, — 
Tet  in  time  of  war.they  have  never  failed  to  bear  their  part  with  voice  andarm,iu  sup- 
port and  defense  of  their  country. 

Responded  to  by  REV.  DR.  DIEDRICH  WILLERS  of  Varick,  as  follows: 

Mr.  President:— 

Holy  writ  informs  us  that  upon  the  birth  of  the  Saviour 
of  mankind,  the  heavenly  hosts  united  in  proclaiming 
* 'Glory  to  God  in  the  highest — and  on  earth,  peace — good 
to  men." 

Our  Saviour  Himself  in  His  beautiful   Sermon  on  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  231 

Mount,    taught  the  multitude — "Blessed  are  the  peace 
makers." 

And  still  through  all  the  years  since  the  Prophet  fore- 
told the  coming  of  a  reign  of  universal  peace,  and  while 
the  lessons  of  peace  and  good  will  have  been  constantly 
taught  and  inculcated, — "war  and  rumors  of  wars," 
have  been  heard,  and  will  continue  to  be  heard — "for  the 
end  is  not  yet." 

In  the  good  time  when  all  shall  become  one  shepherd 
and  one  fold,  wars  shall  cease  and  the  angel  of  peace 
will  have  full  sway. 

The  minister  of  the  Gospel,  when  set  apart  and  conse- 
crated to  the  service  of  God,  undertakes  a  spiritual  war- 
fare against  Satan  and  his  cohorts,  and  enlists  under  the 
banner  of  the  cross.  He  has  to  engage  in  many  spiritual 
conflicts,  but  if  he  labors  faithfully  in  the  cause  of  his 
Master,  he  has  the  assurance  that  his  labors  shall  not  be 
unrewarded. 

The  Clergy — as  declared  in  the  sentiment  under  con- 
sideration— have  also  duties  to  perform  as  citizens  of  the 
country,  and  have  never  yet  failed  when  the  country 
has  been  engaged  in  war,  to  take  an  active  part  in  its 
support  and  defense. 

In  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  Clergy  with  com- 
paratively few  exceptions,  were  true  patriots,  ranging 
themselves  on  the  side  of  the  colonies.  Many  of  them 
for  the  time  laid  aside  the  ministerial  office  and  took  up 
arms  in  defense  of  their  country. 

In  the  campaign  of  General  Sullivan,  which  we  to-day 
commemorate,  Rev.  Dr.  Kirkland  bore  an  important 
part.  As  missionary  among  the  Seneca  Indians,  he  had 
become  acquainted  with  the  Indian  language,  and  from 
his  knowledge  of  the  country  acquired  by  residence,  was 
enabled  to  render  very  efficient  service. 

Rev.  John  Caton,  a  pioneer  clergyman  of  this  county. 


232  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

with  whom  your  speaker  had  an  acquaintance,  was  a 
patriot  of  the  Revolution,  and  after  laying  down  the 
weapons  of  war,  took  up  those  of  a  Christian  warrior. 

Much  might  be  said  of  the  noble  stand  for  civil  liberty 
taken  by  the  patriotic  clergy  of  Boston,  already  in  the 
early  stages  of  the  Revolutionary  strife,  in  refusing  to 
announce  the  proclamation  of  the  British  Governor,  or 
of  the  service 'of  Witherspoon,  Muhlenburg,  Weyberg, 
Larose,  levelling,  Wack,  and  many  others  in  every  part 
of  the  country,  during  the  war,  but  time  will  not  per- 
mit, 

As  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  so  also  in  the  war  of 
1812,  the  Mexican  war,  and  the  late  war  of  1861 — 65,  the 
position  of  the  Clergy,  was  in  no  wise  an  uncertain  one, 
and  many  of  them,  then,  also  took  up  arms  and  endured 
all  the  rigors  of  military  campaigns,  in  defense  of  an  im- 
perilled country. 

Your  beautiful  village  and  town,  in  which  we  to-day 
meet  to  celebrate  this  Centennial  anniversary,  took  its 
name  from  the  battle  field  of  Waterloo,  a  little  village  in 
Belgium,  upon  the  continent  of  Europe,  in  which  memora- 
ble action,  which  decided  the  fate  of  nations,  (June  18th, 
1815,)  your  speaker,  then  in  his  youth,  bore  an  humble 
part  as  a  soldier  in  the  ranks,  fighting  in  support  and 
defense  of  his  fatherland. 

After  five  years  of  military  service,  exchanging  the 
weapons  of  the  battle  field,  for  service  in  the  army  of  the 
Lord,  under  the  banner  of  the  cross,  in  this  his  adopted 
country,  he  has  been  serving  under  that  banner  for  more 
than  fifty-eight  years  of  continuous  ministerial  labor  in 
this  delightful  region  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

It  has  afforded  your  speaker  great  pleasure  to  meet 
here  to-day,  many  old  pioneer  settlers  of  this  county, 
who  with  him  having  passed  the  period  ordinarily  allot- 
ted to  man,  must  in  the  course  of  nature  soon  be  called 
away,  and  give  place  to  others  upon  the  theatre  of  life. 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  233 

That  our  descendants  may  at  the  close  of  another  cen- 
tury, celebrate  this  day,— a  free,  happy  and  God-fearing 
people,  is  my  heart-felt  wish  and  desire. 

The  exercises  at  the  refreshment  tent,  were  concluded 
shortly  before  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 


DEDICATION  OF  THE  MONUMENT. 

The  storm  having  subsided,  and  clear  skies  again  re- 
stored, the  committee  determined  to  complete  the  order 
of  exercises  for  the  day,  by  the  dedication  of  the  monu- 
.  ment  erected  by  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  So- 
ciety, in  the  Academy  Park. 

About  six  o'clock  P.  M.,an  immense  assemblage  of  peo- 
ple surrounded  the  speaker's  stand,  in  front  of  the  Union 
School  building,  (the  former  Academy;)  the  call  to  order 
was  by  Mr.  Walter  Quinby  of  Waterloo,  who  acted  as 
chairman. 

Prayer  was  offered  by  REV.  DK.  S.  H,  GKIDLEY,  after 
which  the  chairman  introduced  HON.  ALBERT  L.  CHILDS, 
who  delivered  the  following  address  : 

Mr.  President  and  Citizens  of  Seneca  County;— 

After  the  festivities  of  this  great  day  ;  after  the  elo- 
quent oration  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  great 
State  of  New  York  ;  the  historical  address  of  the  distin- 
guished gentleman  from  the  Keystone  State,  and  the  mus- 
ical rhymes  of  the  poet  from  an  adjoining  county;  it 
seems  indeed  superfluous  that  the  programme  should  be 
supplemented  with  any  words  of  mine.  But, my  friends, 
the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society, named  as  it 
is,  after  our  town,  reaches  out  in  its  influence,  all  over 
the  County  of  Seneca.  Its  researches  and  interest  are  not 
local,  but  extend  to  other  towns.  This  association  was 


234  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

the  prime  mover  in  the  Sullivan  Centennial  Celebration 
of  to-day.  It  has  received  the  assistance  and  hearty  co- 
operation of  all  the  towns  in  this  county,  and  the  cele- 
bration has  been  eminently  successful. 

This  monument  here  was  erected  by  the  efforts  of  the 
Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society  alone.  It  was 
deemed  proper  then,  that  the  dedication  of  the  monument 
should  be  a  part  of  this  day' s  proceedings.  It  is  placed  here 
not  to  commemorate  General  Sullivan' s  Campaign  against 
the  Six  Nations, but  simply  to  mark  the  place  where  once 
stood  the  Indian  village  of  Skoi-yase.  The  Indian  term 
means  "the  rapid  water."  It  was  before  the  Seneca 
River  was  harnessed  in,  to  do  the  drudgery  of  turning 
the  mills  and  furnishing  power  to  drive  the  industries  and 
manufactures  of  this  village  and  Seneca  Falls.  It  was 
when  the  waves  of  yonder  river  leaped  like  a  wild,  un- 
tamed steed,  down  the  ravines  and  through  the  gorges  in 
the  distance,  until  panting,  they  rested  with  the  quiet 
waters  of  Cayuga. 

This  Indian  village  was  destroyed  and  Sullivan's  march 
was  a  journey  of  destruction.  We  do  not  mourn,  how- 
ever, as  do  many.  When  the  trees,  the  monarchs  of  the 
forest  are  laid  low  and  their  shade  and  grandeur  are  gone, 
when  the  beautiful  flowers  are  plowed  under,  we  know 
it  is  that  the  grain  may  be  harvested  for  generations  to 
live.  So  when  the  Indians  pass  away,  it  is  for  a  higher, 
nobler,  and  better  civilization  and  life.  The  river  is  no 
longer  "the  rapid  water,''  because  it  is  used  to  benefit 
mankind.  The  village  of  Skoi  vase  no  longer  exists,  be- 
cause an  enlightened  race  has  built  up  a  village  with 
happy  homes  and  institutions  that  bless  mankind.  This 
monument  is  not  for  Sullivan.  The  school  house  and 
yonder  church  and  yonder  temple  of  justice,are  the  mon- 
uments, lasting  and  permanent,  to  mark  the  progress 
made,  since  General  Sullivan  and  his  band  came  through 
this  region  between  the  lakes. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  235 

i 

This  land  of  ours  was  not  made  for  monuments  of  mar- 
ble, bronze  or  granite.  In  Egypt,  where  it  never  rains 
and  where  the  atmosphere  does  not  wear  away  the  works 
of  man,  the  pyramids,  the  Cleopatra's  needles  and 
the  catacombs  with  their  inmates,  will  last  thousands 
of  years.  Not  so  with  our  land.  The  Almighty  brings 
the  winds  and  storms  and  earthquakes  to  keep  men  from 
erecting  monuments, driving  them  to  establish  institutions 
that  are  beyond  the  reach  of  the  elements;  stimulating 
the  genius  of  industry,  discovery  and  invention,  until  the 
giant  strides  of  progress  are  made  that  astonish  the  world. 

A  hundred  years  ago  and  the  procession  of  to-day 
would  have  been  in  Indian  file,  with  the  scalps  of  human 
beings,  the  skins  of  wild  beasts,  the  hoofs  and  horns  of  the 
medicine  men,  and  the  rattle  of  music  for  the  war  dance^ 
mingled  with  savage  yells.  To-day,  the  grand,  magnifi- 
cent procession  we  have  witnessed,  marks  the  progress  of 
a  century.  The  sweet  music,  the  intelligent  citizens,  the 
samples  of  invention  from  our  sister  village,  the  beautiful 
car  with  its  Goddess  of  Liberty,  its  Ceres,  Pomona  and 
Flora,  representing  the  grain,  the  fruits  and  the  flowers  ; 
all  of  the  charming  features  of  this  splendid  procession, 
mark  the  progress  too,  of  a  century.  The  railroad,  the 
telegraph,  the  telephone  and  the  miracles  of  science,  art 
and  inventive  genius,  were  all  unknown  to  the  first  proces- 
sion. The  one  that  comes, the  next  Centennial,  will  look 
back  to  this  and  see  the  progress  of  another  hundred 
years. 

The  flag  that  Sullivan  and  his  men  triumphantly  car- 
ried was  the  old  stars  and  stripes.  There  were  but  thir- 
teen stars  then.  Now  there  is  three  times  the  number, 
save  one;  all  bright,  joyous  States,  blest  with  good  gov- 
ernment. The  wars  through  which  this  banner  has  been 
triumphantly  carried  by  the  valiant  sons  of  America, 
have  endeared  it  to  the  people  and  shown  to  the  world 
that  the  soldiers  and  citizens  of  to-day  are  not  unworthy 


236  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

of  their  sires  before  them. 

IS  ot  long  ago  I  saw  a  picture.  The  sun  was  rising  on  a 
charming  landscape.  The  foliage  and  verdure  were  rich 
and  beautiful.  The  morning  glories  twined  around  the 
pillars  of  a  porch.  A  young  lady  stood  looking  at  the 
scene.  In  one  corner  a  cage  was  hanging  and  in  the  swing 
was  a  little  bird  singing.  The  name  of  the  picture  was 
"The  Morning  Song."  The  tiniest, most  insignificant  part 
of  the  picture  gave  title  and  name  to  the  whole.  And  I 
have  thought  to-day,  that  this  modest  monument  erected 
by  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  to  mark 
the  place  where  once  this  Indian  village  stood;  together 
with  the  feeble  exercises  of  its  dedication,  compared  with 
the  grand  programme  of  to-day,  are  small  and  of  no  power 
and  influence  whatever.  But  they  are  the  morning  song 
of  a  Dew  century  that  has  dawned  upon  us.  The  rude 
stones  from  yonder  quarries,  piled  upon  this  spot,  are 
eloquent  in  their  silence  and  native,  rugged,  strength. 
They  awaken  thoughts  and  aspirations  that  bring 
iorth  grand  results.  The  history  of  the  past  and  the 
wonderful  improvements  of  a  century,  lead  us  to  ex- 
pect great  things  yet  to  come.  To  keep  up  the  progress 
•of  the  past, sacrifices  must  be  made  and  great  efforts  put 
forth  by  the  present  generation,  for  those  who  come 
;after. 

All  this  will  be  done  and  the  same  spirit  of  obedience, 
faithfulness  and  devotion  as  exhibited  by  General  John 
Sullivan  and  his  men,  a  hundred  years  ago,  will  be  shown 
on  a  grander  scale  by  the  present  and  coming  generations. 
This  monument  will  remain  until  in  coming  years  a  bet- 
ter one  takes  its  place,  but  our  government  and  our  insti- 
tutions, the  monuments  of  an  enlightened,  Christian  peo- 
ple will  remain  through  many  centuries. 

At  the  conclusion  of  ME.  CHILDS'  speech,  JUDGE  B.  F. 
HALL  of  Auburn  was  introduced  and  spoke  as  follows: 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  237 

Monumental  tributes  to  real  or  supposed  greatness, 
have  been  frequent  in  the  other  hemisphere  ever  since 
the  days  of  Mmrod,  and  with  the  exceptions  of  such 
massive  piles  as  the  great  pyramid,  and  two  or  three 
others,  which  refuse  to  communicate,  those  venerable 
and  majestic  structures  have  been,  and  yet  are,  reliable 
oracles  of  ancient  gratitude  and  wisdom.  They  register 
accurately  the  sentiments  and  feelings  of  their  builders 
towards  their  real  or  supposed  benefactors  and  heroes,  as 
well  as  the  skill  and  taste  of  the  artisans  of  their  century 
and  age.  They  mark  the  epochs  of  their  erection  by  evi- 
dences which  survive  better  than  any  other  the  ravages 
of  time. 

Our  fathers  naturally  enough  inherited  the  general  idea 
of  their  historical  value  as  imperishable  records  and  as 
soon  after  the  establishment  of  our  nationality  as  they 
were  able  to  do  so,  they  began  to  reduce  it  to  practice — 
so  that  even  now,  at  the  expiration  of  a  very  short  cen- 
tury, and  that  too  for  the  most  part  occupied  in  felling 
the  forests  and  establishing  homes,  our  countrymen  have 
found  means  and  time  to  raise  some  token  of  gratitude 
upon  nearly  every  battle  field  from  Concord  to  Yorktown, 
and  to  embellish  the  parks  and  plazas  of  our  cities  and 
villages  with  thousands  of  elegant  personal  tributes  to 
Washington  and  his  generals,  soldiers^civilians  and  states- 
men. 

The  series  of  centennial  observances  all  over  the  coun- 
try appear  to  have  given  a  fresh  impetus  to  monuments 
of  the  old  revolutionary  struggle  ;  and  I  presume  we  may 
consider  yours,  one  of  the  latest.  It  was  a  fortunate 
thought  which  moved  you  to  erect  it.  It  was  honorable 
alike  to  your  citizens  arid  place.  Your  tribute  of  homage 
is  complete  without  any  contribution  from  Cayuga. 
Nevertheless,  I  beg  leave  in  the  name  and  behalf  of  those 
I  represent,  to  add  a  single  sprig  to  your  chaplet.  I  con- 
tribute it  not  for  embellishment ;  but  to  indent  our  foot- 


238  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

steps  in  the  sands  of  time,  to  be  found  by  your  children 
and  mine  after  we  are  asleep. 

Although  I  suppose  this  structure  was  intended  by  you 
to  be  a  tribute  of  homage  to  Sullivan  alone,  I  consider  it 
also  a  tribute  of  homage  to  Washington  as  well.  For 
although  Washington  and  Sullivan  acted  different  parts 
in  the  drama  of  the  revolution,  their  association  in  labors, 
dangers,  heroisms  and  fortitudes,  united  their  names  in 
tradition  and  history.  They  were  embalmed  together  in 
the  affections  of  their  countrymen,  and  they  stand  to- 
gether in  the  eternity  of  their  fame.  Left  to  themselves 
the  warriors  of  the  six  nations  would  not  have  perpetra- 
ted the  outrages  at  German  Flats,  Cherry  Valley  and 
Wyoming,  and  would  not  have  created  the  necessity  for 
Sullivan's  campaign  to  destroy  their  villages,  cornfields 
and  orchards  in  Central  New  York.  Instigated  and 
hired  by  the  British  authorities,  they  united  with  the 
tories  in  perpetrating  those  outrages  and  thereby  created 
the  necessity  for  chastising  them  and  driving  them  back. 
But  it  was  a  hard  necessity  notwithstanding. 

The  past  cannot  be  recalled.  They  did  create  the  neces- 
sity, Sullivan's  forces  did  come  here  to  destroy,  and  did 
destroy  the  Indian  village  on  this  spot,  one  hundred 
years  ago.  You  have  commemorated  the  event  with  a 
magnificent  demonstration.  But  the  recollection  of  the 
demonstration  would  pass  away  with  the  lives  of  those 
who  witnessed  it  except  for  this  monument  to  perpetuate 
it.  This  will  stand  as  a  record  which  future  generations 
will  read.  And  standing  as  it  does  in  the  campus  of 
your  Academy,  it  will  grow  in  importance  with  the  suc- 
cession of  years.  It  is  now  a  mere  pillar,  to  denote  the 
site  of  ancient  Skoi-yase  when  Sullivan's  army  swept 
through  it  one  hundred  years  ago.  In  fifty  years  it  will 
be  regarded  as  classic  ;  and  in  a  hundred  it  will  be  re- 
garded as  sacred.  And  from  this  time  forward  so  long 
as  it  stands,  it  will  commemorate  the  event  and  the  day 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  239 

and  hallow  the  spot. 

It  will  become  the  young  people  of  the  villages  and  the 
students  of  the  Academy  particularly,  to  guard  it  well. 

With  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  the  exercises 
were  concluded  at  Academy  Park. 


FIREWORKS  AND  ILLUMINATIONS. 

In  the  evening  the  streets  of  the  village  were  thronged 
with  people,  congregated  to  witness  a  magnificent  display 
of  fire  works  at  Academy  Park — the  finest  display  ever 
witnessed  in  Waterloo — the  principal  pieces  of  which, 
from  the  well-known  manufacturers  of  pyrotechnics, 
James  Palmer's  Sons,  Rochester,  were  described  by  the 
Seneca  County  News,  as  follows  : 

No.  1.  An  "Eagle  and  Shield."  This  was  a  brilliant 
scene;  the  American  eagle  in  gold,  holding  in  its  talons 
the  olive  branch  and  arrows.  On  its  breast  the  shield  of 
red,  white  and  blue.  The  whole  in  an  arch,  with  a  rich 
spray  of  fire,  terminating  with  reports. 

No.  2.  A  "Fountain  Battery."  This  was  made  up  of 
Greek  arid  Roman  fire.  It  was  a  large  piece,  throwing 
into  the  air,  clusters  of  red,  green,  blue,  purple,  gold  and 
silver  light. 

No.  3.  The  "Flag  of  America."  This  was  a  favorite 
piece,  with  all  the  national  colors,  affording  a  spectacle  of 
great  brilliancy. 

No.  4,  The  "Rainbow  Cascade."  It  opened  with  crim- 
son color  and  changed  to  a  cascade,  with  bouquets  ol  fire 
and  falling  sprays  of  many  colors. 


240  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

No.  5.  "The  American  Shield,"  a  beautiful  emblematic 
design,  high-colored,  dazzling,  and  surrounded  with  a 
wonderful  display  of  fireworks. 

No.  6.  The  ''Grand  Centennial  Piece."  It  opens  with 
a  revolving  display  of  pyrotechnics,  and  presented  the 
motto  in  fire,  "1779— Sullivan  Centennial— 1879,"  accom- 
panied with  a  border  of  many  colored  lights  and  termi- 
nating with  a  wonderful  scene  of  rockets.  Roman  candles 
and  general  fireworks. 

Between  each  of  the  above  pieces  there  were  colored 
lights,  floating  parachutes,  Roman  candles,  rockets,  etc., 
in  great  profusion. 

The  illuminations  of  the  night  of  Centennial  day  were 
beyond  all  praise.  The  following  circular  had  been  a  few 
days  previous,  widely  distributed: 

SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN. 

"The  local  executive  committee  of  the  town  of  Water- 
loo and  the  Historical  Society,  are  well  aware  that  they 
only  express  the  wish  of  nearly  all  the  citizens  of  Wa- 
terloo, when  they  recommend  that  on  Wednesday,  Sep- 
tember 3dlthe  day  of  the  coming  Celebration  of  Sullivan's 
Campaign,  the  residences,  places  of  business, hotels, etc., 
be  handsomely  decorated.  In  the  evening  there  should 
be  a  general  illumination  throughout  the  town.  The  na- 
tional flag  should  be  seen  on  every  building  on  that  day." 

Suggestions  so  fully  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the 
occasion  were  acted  upon  with  enthusiasm. 

The  brilliancy  that  came  in  with  the  morning,  exiled 
for  a  few  hours  in  the  afternoon  by  black  clouds  and 
wind  and  falling  rain,  returned  in  the  evening  in  a  dress 
of  beauty.  Under  the  sky  of  a  summer  night,a  blaze  of 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  241 

rejoicing  began  to  glow  as  the  sunlight  faded  from  the 
west.  More  than  a  thousand  Chinese  lanterns  flashed  their 
signals  of  red,  and  white,  and  blue.  They  hung  on  wires 
stretched  from  tree  to  tree — noticeably  on  both  sides  of 
Virginia  street,  from  North  to  Main,  on  continuous 
wires.  They  were  every  where, in  trees,  door  ways,  windows 
and  balconies,all  houses  were  illuminated, doors  and  win- 
dows were  thrown  open,  and  there  was  a  blaze  of  light, 
without-  and  within ;  while  at  the  intersection  of  Main 
and  Locust  streets  the  brightness  culminated  in  the  bril- 
liant illuminations  of  many-colored  fire  and  in  the  red 
glare  of  the  rockets  scattering  in  the  sky  their  showers 
of  stars. 

THE   RECEPTION  IN  THE   EVENING. 

Following  the  fire  works,  and  concluding  the  observ- 
ances of  the  day  came  the  reception,  held  under  the  au- 
spices of  the  local  committee,  in  the  large  upper  room  of 
the  Malt  House  on  Main  street, handsomely  arranged  and 
decorated  for  the  occasion — which  was  largely  attended. 
The  reception  was  under  the  immediate  management  of 
Messrs.  Charles  C.  Sweet,  William  L.  Mercer,  John  L. 
Kendig,  A.  C.  Clark  and  Charles  V.  Webster  of  Water- 
loo; W.  A.Swaby  L.  Latham, Nathaniel  Beriham  and  Rich- 
ard Miller  of  Seneca  Falls;  Edward  Giddings  of  Yarick, 
and  David  Pierson  of  Fayette. 

'  GUESTS  PRESENT  AT  THE  CELEBRATION. 

The  following  partial  list  comprises  the  names  of  the 
invited  guests  and  prominent  personages  from  abroad— 

so  far  as  ascertained — who  were  in  attendance  during  the 

i 

day  of  the  Celebration : 

Lieutenant  Governor  William  Dorsheimer,  Eev.  David 
Craft,  Rev.  Dwight  Williams,  Brigadier  General  J.  Dean 


242  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

Hawley,  and  Staff,  Syracuse  ;  Colonel  W.  R.  Chamberlin 
of  Division  Staff,  Syracuse ;  Colonel  Jay  E.  Storke,  and 
Staff,  Auburn ;  Major  Frank  H.  Griswold,  Auburn ; 
Captain  Paul  Birchmeyer,  Syracuse ;  Captain  Michael 
Auer,  Syracuse  ;  Hon.  Edwin  Hicks  State  Senator,  Canan- 
daigua;  Hon.  David  Cosad  Jr.,  Ontario  County;  George 
S.  Conover,  Geneva ;  Samuel  IS".  Anthony,  Geneva ;  Hon. 
William  H.  Bogart,  Aurora ;  General  John  S.  Clark, 
Auburn ;  Judge  Benjamin  F.  Hall,  Auburn ;  M.  L. 
Walley,  Auburn ;  Hon.  Darius  A.  Ogden,  Penn  Yan ; 
Hon.  Guy  H.  McMaster,  Bath,  Steuben  County ;  Hon. 
Lyman  Congdon.  Tompkins  County ;  Prof.  Isaac  P. 
Roberts,  Ithaca ;  John  H.  Dey,  New  York  City  ;  Rev. 
Dr.  J.  B.  Smith,  Peekskill ;  Rev.  Wm.  D'Orville  Doty, 
Rochester  ;  Rev.  Dr.  O' Sullivan,  Camillus  ;  Rev.  William 
Morrin,  Churchville  ;  Frank  Warner,  Chicago,  111,  ;  Hon. 
S.  R.  TenEyck,  New  York  City  ;  Lester  Wheeler,  Buffalo; 
Searles  Berger,  Syracuse  ;  W.  H.  Gibbs,  Watkins  :  Mrs. 
Mclntosh  and  the  family  of  the  late  Hon.  John  Mclntosh, 
of  Cayuga  ;  George  Tower  of  Detroit. 

Among  the  newspaper  men  from  abroad  who  reported 
themselves  at  the  tent  of  the  Seneca  County  editorial 
fraternity,  were : 

Messrs.  W.  H.  Bogart  of  the  New  York  World,  T.  R. 
Willard,  Rochester  Democrat  and  Chronicle,  C.  F.  Bar- 
ber, Auburn  Advertiser,  John  H.  Dey,  New  York  Evan- 
gelist, G.  H.  Woodruff, Clifton  Springs  Press, George  W. 
Edwards,  Syracuse  Standard,  E.  G.  Salsbury,  Phelps 
Citizen,W.  S.  Jerome, Geneva  Courier,^.  S.  Vail, Auburn 
News  and  Bulletin,  S.  H.  Parker,  Geneva  Gazette,  George 
H.  Sprague,  Turf,  Field  and 'Farm,  C.  A.  Goheen,  Lima 
Recorder,  A.  M.  Bridenbecker,  Syracuse  Herald,  Mr. 
Austin,  Evening  Auburn ian,  George  D.  A.  Bridgman, 
Canandaigua  Journal. 


THE  LOG  CABIN. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  343 

VETERANS  OF  1812,  AND   PIONEER  SETTLER8. 

At  the  Log  Cabin,  the  following  named  veterans  of  the 
war  of  1812,  and  pioneer  settlers  are  known  to  have  been 
in  attendance.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  a  complete 
register  of  the  names  of  all  was  not  kept. 

VETERANS  OF   1812.* 

Jabez  Matthews,  Seneca  Falls,  aged  eighty- five  years. 
Benjamin  S.  Carter,         "  ;'      eighty-six       " 

Samuel  Stacker,  "  "      eighty-six      " 

Jason  Smith,  Tyre,  "      eighty  four     " 

Lewis  Beach,  VaricK,  "      eighty-six       " 

Philo  Roberts, Cuba,  Allegany  County. 

PIONEER  SETTLERS  IN  SENECA  COUNTY,  PRIOR  TO  1804. 

Mrs.  Polly  Chambers,  oldest  daughter  of  Lawrence  Van 
Cleef,  aged  ninety-three  years;  removed,  with  her  father, 
to  Seneca  Falls  in  1789. 

Mrs.  Harriet  Harpst,  Seneca  Falls,  sister  of  Mrs.  Cham- 
bers, aged  seventy-six  years. 

Hon.  Daniel  S.  Kendig,  Waterloo,  born  in  Fayette,  in 
1803. 

Edward  Sayre,  Varick,  born  in  Romulus,  in  1798. 

Michael  Hoster,  Seneca  Falls,  settled  in  Fayette,  in 
1803. 

Daniel  H.  Bryant,    Fayette,    settled  in  Romulus,   in 

1802. 

Jason  Smith,  Tyre,  settled  there,  in  1803. 


*Colonel  John  Y.  Mannieg.and  Abram  Van  Doren— both  of  Ovid,  and  Colonel  David 
Swick  of  Covert,  were  unavc  idably  prevented  from  meeting  with  the  surviving  veter- 
ans of  the  County. 

16. 


244  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Richard  Van  Liew,  Lodi,  born  there,  in  1801. 
Lewis  Beach,  Yarick,  settled  there,  prior  to  1800. 

Well  might  the  language  of  Daniel  Webster, addressed 
to  the  band  of  revolutionary  patriots  present  at  the  laying 
of  the  corner  stone  of  the  Bunker  Hill  monument,  be  ap- 
plied to  these  veterans  and  pioneers  : 

"Venerable  men!  you  have  come  down  to  us  from  a 
former  generation.  Heaven  has  bounteously  lengthened 
out  your  lives,  that  you  might  behold  this  joyous  day." 


YOUNG   LADIES. 

A  hundred  years  hence,  (when  the  bi-centennial  com- 
memoration of  the  Sullivan  expedition  occurs,) after  the 
maidens,  dressed  in  white,  whose  bright  and  smiling  faces 
proved  so  great  an  attraction  at  the  Centennial,  will  have 
all  passed  away — it  will  be  a  matter  of  great  interest  to 
know  the  names  of  those  who  took  a  part  in  the  proceed- 
ings at  Waterloo,  on  September  3d,  1879,  as  the  represen- 
tatives of  certain  towns: 

The  following  are  such  names, so  far  as  the  same  could 
be  ascertained  by  the  committee: 

WATERLOO — Misses  Mary  A.  Mclntyre,  Margaret  P. 
Mcln  tyre,  Lulu  Clark,  Nora  W.Bacon,  JeanieD.  Burrall, 
Maude  L.  Kimball,  Marion  M.  Laney,  Jane  M.  Mercer, 
Nellie  S.  Terwilliger,  Anna  Kendig. 

All  dressed  in  white,  trimmed  with  the  national  colors 
and  crowned  with  wreaths  of  white  flowers,  and  seated 
in  an  elegant  Tally-ho-Coach, drawn  by  four  horses, driven 
by  Mr.  John  E.  Allen  of  Sheldrake,  with  postillion— 
under  the  direction  and  escort  of  Mr.  Francis  Bacon. 

ROMULUS — Misses  Carrie  A.  Fin  ton,  C.  Louise  Everett 
Edna  Smith,  A.  Annie  Bartlett, Mamie  Steele, Grace  Bro- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  245 

kaw,  Julia  Doughty,  Celia  Conley,  Hattie  E.  Smith. 

All  dressed  in  white,  blue  tarlatan  sashes,  turban  caps 
trimmed  with  blue  and  red— drawn  in  a  carriage  driven 
by  Mr.  Bartlett  Cooley  of  Kendala. 

SENECA  FALLS — Was  represented  by  thirteen  young 
ladies, representing  the  thirteen  original  States,  to-wit : 

Misses  Etta  Golder,  Connecticut  ;  Annie  Tel  ford,  Penn- 
sylvania; Gertie  Lewis,  Delaware  ;  May  Williams,  New 
Jersey;  Hattie  Keeler,  Rhode  Island;  Florence  Baker, 
Massachusetts  ;  Eva  Peddle, New  Hampshire  ;  Inez  War- 
ner, South  Carolina  ;  Rena  Mickley,  New  York  ;  Minnie 
Wessel,  Maryland  ;  Eva  Adair,  North  Carolina  ;  Cora 
Reed,  Georgia ;  Jessie  Medden,  Virginia. 

All  dressed  in  white, adorned  with  red  and  blue  favors, 
and  each  bearing  a  miniature  national  flag — drawn  in  a 
carriage,  with  four  horses  decked  with  plumes, under  the 
direction  and  escort  of  Mr.  D.  B.  Lum. 

JUNIUS — was  represented  in  the  procession  by  the  fol- 
lowing named  young  ladies: 

Misses  Mary  Phillips,  Elizabeth  Serven,  Lottie  VanCleef, 
Mary  Barrett,  Emma  VanCleef ,  Maria  Brownell,  Julia  Stu- 
art, Annie  Brownell,  Lizzie  King,  Annie  E.  Brownell,  Mary 
Cosad,  Juliet  Dean. 

All  dressed  in  white,  and  wearing  appropriate  scarfs 
and  badges— drawn  in  a  handsomely  decorated  vehicle, 
under  the  escort  of  Mr.  William  Sprang.  « 

FAYETTE— The  following  extract  from  the  Waterloo 
Observer,  gives  an  extended  account  of  the  representa- 
tion of  young  ladies  from  Fayette: 

A  car  especially  prepared  for  the  occasion,  contained 
the  Goddess  of  Liberty  and  the  thirteen  original  states 
of  the  union  represented  by  the  following  young  ladies  : 


246  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Goddess  of  Liberty,  Laura  Stone  ;  New  Hampshire,  Belle 
Ide  ;  Massachusetts,  Abbie  Kuney  ;  Rhode  Island,  Nellie 
Randall ;  Connecticut,  Mamie  Chamberlain  ;  New  York, 
Minnie  Stone ;  New  Jersey,  Carrie  Tiffany ;  Pennsyl- 
vania, Fannie  Opdyke ;  Delaware,  Carrie  Reynolds  ; 
Maryland,  Jennie  Yost ;  Virginia,  Frances  Thomas ; 
North  Carolina,  Ella  Burroughs  ;  South  Carolina,  Florence 
Emmett ;  Georgia,  Libbie  Wilson. 

The  Goddess  of  Liberty  wore  a  white  silk  skirt,  rich 
with  large  gold  stars,  blue  bodice,  red  baldric  trimmed 
with  smaller  gold  stars.  Upon  her  head  was  a  liberty 
cap,  in  her  right  hand  she  held  a  spear,  her  left  hand 
rested  upon  the  shield  of  the  union,  the  American  eagle 
seated  with  folded  wings,  at  her  feet,  on  the  right.  She 
sat  on  a  raised  platform  at  the  rear  of  the  car,  with  the 
representatives  of  the  thirteen  states  ranged  in  a  semi- 
circle below  and  in  front  of  her,  commencing  with  New 
Hampshire  on  the  left,  the  others  following  in  regular 
order,  ending  with  Georgia  on  the  right.  These  young 
ladies  were  arrayed  tastefully  in  white,  each  with  a  broad 
blue  baldric  with  the  name  of  the  appropriate  state  in 
gold  letters.  The  car  was  sixteen  feet  long  by  eight  feet 
wide,  with  a  canopy  of  red,  white  and  blue,  the  latter 
oolor  being  festooned  at  the  sides,  and  sprinkled  with 
gold  stars.  The  columns  and  rail  supporting  the  canopy 
were  draped  in  white,  banded  by  narrow  red  and  blue 
ribbons,  and  brilliant  with  gold  stars  ;  a  drapery  of  red 
sprinkled  with  silver  stars  depended  from  the  platform 
hiding  the  running  gear,  and  giving  a  finish  to  the  whole. 
The  top  was  surmounted  by  a  handsome  blue  sign,  gold 
bordered,  with  the  name  of  the  town  in  white  letters,  and, 
capping  the  whole,  was  the  bald  eagle  with  wings  out- 
spread, on  a  pedestal  draped  with  red  and  stars.  In  the 
rear  of  the  car,  rose  a  flag  staff  with  gold  ball,  from 
which  floated  the  American  flag.  The  car  was  drawn  by 
four  large  and  handsome  horses,  one  pair  belonging  to 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  247 

Messrs.  Reamer  &  Hallsted,  and  the  other  to  Mr.  George 
Thomas,  appropriately  decorated,  each  with  a  rider,  strik- 
ingly dressed  in  red,  white  and  blue.  The  car  was  guard- 
ed by  six  out-riders. 

THE   GRANGERS. 

The  attendance  of  the  Seneca  County  Grange  of  the 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  with  the  grand  car  or  chariot 
decorated  with  the  products  of  husbandry,  formed  one  of 
the  principal  features  of  the  procession. 

The  grand  car  consisted  of  a  large  platform  twenty- 
four  feet  by  twelve  feet,  erected  upon  a  wagon  and  drawn 
by  six  horses.  This  platform,  was  neatly  and  tastily 
decked  and  festooned  with  productions  of  the  earth — 
grain,  fruit,  vegetables,  flowers  and  evergreens — and  con- 
tained a  representation  of  the  Goddesses  of  Grain  (Ceres), 
of  fruit  (Pomona),  and  of .  flowers  (Flora),  of  ancient 
mythology — Carrie  Cleminson  representing  Ceres,  Mary 
Eorison,  Pomona,  and  Ella  Wilson,  Flora. 

Following  the  grand  car  in  carriages  and  farm  wagons, 
came  a  representation  from  the  following  subordinate 
Granges  of  the  county  : 

Junius  Grange  No.  34. — Gideon  Bowdish,  Master. 

East  Fayette  Grange  No  40. — Chas.  B.  Randall,  Master. 

Seneca  Grange  No.  44.— Wm.  M.  Hunt,  Master. 

Kendaia  Grange  No.  64.— E.  Seeley  Bartlett,  Master. 

Rose  Hill  Grange  No,  116.— John  G.  Pearson,  Master, 

Magee's  Corners  Grange  IMo.  139.— E.  J.  Schoonmaker, 
Master. 

West  Fayetfe  Grange  No.  249.— Wm.  Eshenour,  Mas- 
ter. 

The  entire  procession   filled    about   one  hundred  ve- 


248  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL  . 

hides,  containing  fully  three  hundred  members  of  the 
Order  of  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  under  the  immediate 
direction  of  William  Andrews  as  special  marshal,  and 
his  aids. 

THE  49TH   REGIMENT,  NATIONAL   GUARD,  S.  N.  Y. 

The  military  appearance  and  marching  of  the  49th 
Regiment,  National  Guard,  was  the  admiration  of  all 
present  at  the  celebration,  and  formed  one  of  the  note- 
worthy features  of  the  procession. 

The  Regiment  was  officered  and  paraded,  as  follows: 

FIELD   OFFICERS. 

Colonel  Jay  E.  Storke,  Auburn,  Commanding. 
Major  Frank  H.  Griswold,  Auburn. 

STAFF. 

Adjutant — William  M.  Kirby. 
Commissary — John  E.  Allen. 
Inspector  of  Rifle  Practice — Daniel  D.  Anthony. 

COMPANY    ORGANIZATIONS. 

Company  A,  Mora  via,  Captain  H.  H.  Tuthill,66  enlisted 
men. 

Company  B,  Auburn,  Captain  WillardGf.  Co  well,  29  en- 
listed men. 

Company  C,  Auburn,  Captain  Michael  H.  Hogan,26  en- 
listed men. 

Company  E,  Auburn,  Captain  John  McCartin,  42  en- 
listed men. 

Company  F,  Auburn,  Second  Lieutenant  M.  S.  Webster, 
35  enlisted  men. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  249 

Company  G,  Auburn,  Captain  Robert  P.  Judge,  45  enlist- 
ed men. 

Company  I,  Seneca  Falls,  Captain  Ira  Almy,35  enlisted 


men. 


Company  K,  Seneca  Falls,  Captain  P.  J.  Rogers,  26  en- 
listed men. 


RECAPITULATION. 


Field  and  Staff 5 

Non-Commissioned  Staff 9 

Regimental  Band 31 

Officers  and  Enlisted  Men  of  the  Eight  Companies. ..  323 


Total  Strength .  368 


SOLDIERS    OF  THE    WAE   OF  1861-1865. 

The  representation  of  soldiers  of  the  late  war,  was  not 
confined  to  Seneca  County.  In  addition  to  the  posts  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  from  Waterloo  and  Sen- 
eca Falls,  the  Posts  of  Phelps  and  Geneva  were  largely 
represented. 

Ex-soldiers,  not  connected  with  the  Grand  Army,  were 
also  in  line,  to  the  number  of  about  five  hundred. 

A  substantial  dinner,  of  pork  and  beans,  sandwiches  and 
coffee,  was  served  to  all  the  soldiers — under  the  direction 
of  Commander  John  A.  Casterlin  of  Waterloo. 

CONCLUDING  REMARKS. 

•  When  every  locality  and  town  of  Seneca  County  con- 
tributed its  share  to  the  success  of  the  Celebration,  it- 
would  be  invidious  to  make  any  special  mention,  other 
than  already  made. 


250  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

To  sum  up  the  result  of  the  Celebration,  in  a  few  words 
— it  was  a  grand  s uccess, far  exceeding  the  most  sanguine 
expectations  of  its  warmest  advocates  and  friends. 

This  Centennial  Commemoration  of  General  Sullivan's 
Campaign,  has  had  the  effect  to  draw  out  and  mass 
together,  for  preservation,  many  important  historical 
facts  and  data,  relative  to  the  early  settlement  of  our 
county  and  its  pioneers.  The  exploration  of  the  line  of 
march  of  General  Sullivan's  army,  and  of  its  several  de- 
tachments, already  alluded  to,  is  another  of  the  grand 
and  important  results  attained  thereby. 

Observances  of  this  kind  cannot  fail  to  keep  alive  a 
spirit  of  exalted  patriotism,  in  the  recounting  of  the  trials, 
privations  and  patriotic  deeds  of  the  brave  men  of  the 
Revolution,  to  whom  we  owe  our  independence  and  our 
free  institutions. 

"  The  land  is  holy,  where  they  fought. 
And  holy,  where  they  fell, 
For  by  their  blood  that  land  was  bought, 
The  land  they  loved  so  well, 
Then  elory  to  that  valiant  band, 
The  honor  d  saviours  of  the  land." 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  251 


COMMENTS  OF  THE  NEWSPAPER  PRESS. 

It  may  not  be  inappropriate,  in  concluding  this  sketch, 
to  reproduce  some  of  the  comments  of  the  newspaper 
press,  concerning  the  Celebration. 

A  few  extracts  have  been  selected,  from  the  many 
complimentary  accounts  thereof,  to  enable  us — 

"  To  see  ourselves,  as  others  see  us." 


[FROM  THE  WATERLOO  OBSERVER.] 

The  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  General  Sullivan's 
march  through  Seneca  County  in  his  campaign  against 
the  Iroquois,  was  celebrated  in  this  village  last  Wednes- 
day. The  idea  of  celebrating  this  important  event  in  the 
history  of  our  War  for  Independence,  was  first  suggested 
by  Dr.  S.  R.  Welles  of  Waterloo,  in  a  paper  read  before 
the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  some  two 
years  ago.  The  idea  was  heartily  approved  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Library  and  Historical  Society  and  by  our 
citizens  generally,  and  it  was  decided  that  the  event 
should  be  honored  by  a  celebration.  The  work  was  in- 
augurated by  the  society  early  last  spring,  but  as  the 
magnitude  and  importance  of  the  occasion  became  ap- 
parent, they  resolved  to  unite  the  whole  county  in  a  grand 
celebration  at  Waterloo,  in  which  every  town  should  be 
represented.  Having  decided  upon  the  character  of  the 
celebration,  preparations  were  at  once  begun,  which,  in  a 
measure,  assured  the  success  of  the  undertaking.  The 
press  of  the  county  took  great  interest  in  the  affair,  and 


252  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

published  numerous  articles  and  letters,  which  served  to 
arouse  a  feeling  of  patriotism  within  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  remind  them  of  the  terrible  sufferings  and 
heroic  struggles  of  those  who  achieved  our  independence, 
A  spirit  of  inquiry  and  research  was  also  brought  out  and 
stimulated,  which  has  been  of  vast  benefit  in  keeping  up 
public  interest,  and  in  rescuing  from  the  darkness  of  ob- 
livion, many  scenes  and  incidents  connected  with  the  early 
history  of  our  county,  which  would  have  soon  been  lost 
and  forgotten  in  the  graves  of  their  witnesses. 

For  weeks,  our  citizens  had  been  preparing  for  this  great 
event.  The  first  prominent  feature,  and  one  which  at- 
tracted universal  attention,  was  the  erection  on  the  Fair 
Grounds  of  a  log  cabin,  size  18x24  feet,  which  was  built 
through  the  liberality  of  our  farmers  and  others  who  con- 
tributed the  logs  and  other  necessary  material  and  helped 
to  construct  it.  Next  followed  the  erection  of  the  grand 
and  speakers'  stands  and  the  numerous  tents  which  dot- 
ted the  grounds  from  the  entrance  to  the  eastern  fence. 
Early  last  week  the  work  of  trimming  and  decorating  the 
residences  and  places  of  business  of  our  citizens,  was  com- 
menced and  so  diligently  carried  on,  that,  when  last 
Wednesday  morning,  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the  boom- 
ing of  cannon  announced  the  day's  arrival,  there  was  hard- 
ly a  place  in  town  but  had  its  display  of  flags,  evergreens 
and  the  "red,  white  and  blue."  Our  citizens  seemed  to 
vie  with  each  other  in  the  elaborateness  of  their  decora- 
tions, and  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  such  a  magnifi- 
cent display  was  never  before  seen  in  Waterloo. 
#  #  *  * 

Early  on  Wednesday  morning,  the  village  began  to  fill 
up  with  people.  They  came  in  all  manner  of  convey- 
ances, from  all  parts  of  the  county  and  its  contiguous 
hamlets  and  settlements,  while  the  morning  trains  from 
east  and  west  were  loaded  down  with  passengers.  At 
about  eleven  o'clock, an  extra  train  arrived  from  the  east, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  253 

having  on  board  the  49th  regiment,  and  the  Grand  Army 
and  the  Seneca  Falls  Cornet  bands.  At  about  the  same 
time,  the  Seneca  Falls  delegation  arrived,  escorted  by 
a  company  of  Yates'  Dragoons  of  Syracuse. 

At  about  ten  o'  clock  a  large  concourse  of  people  gather- 
ed in  the  vicinity  of  Academy  Park,  and  shortly  before 
eleven  the  procession  began  forming,  headed  by  Deputy- 
Sheriff  VanCleef  and  his  three  aids.  Following  him 
were  Grand  Marshal  Guion  and  his  assistants  ;  then  came 
General  Hawley  and  Staff  ;  the  49th  Regiment,  N.  G.  S. 
N.  Y.,  headed  by  the  49th  Regiment  Band ;  Captain  Paul 
Birchmeyer's  Battery;  the  Orator,  Historian,  Poet,  Pre- 
sident of  the  Day,  Village  Officers  and  the  Centennial 
Committees  in  carriages  ;  the  Trustees  of  Waterloo,  headed 
by  the  Waterloo  Cornet  Band ;  the  Cayuga  Lake  Hotel 
four-horse  Tally-ho  Coach,  manned  by  Mr.  John  E.  Allen 
and  containing  several  young  ladies  dressed  in  white, 
representing  the  town  of  Waterloo ;  Odd  Fellows  of 
Geneva,  headed  by  Mead's  Brass  Band  of  that  village ; 
Seneca  Falls  Grand  Army  Band ;  soldiers  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  ;  Phelps  Brass  Band  ;  next  came 
the  Patrons  of  Husbandry  car,  a  magnificent  and  skillful 
specimen  of  workmanship,  in  which  were  representations 
of  Pomona,  Ceres  and  Flora,  followed  by  several  hun- 
dred Patrons  in  carriages  ;  car  of  young  ladies  represent- 
ing Fayette,  headed  by  the  Canoga  Brass  Band ;  large 
wooden  cannon,  bearing  the  inscription:  "This  is  the 
cannon  General  Sullivan  did  not  lose ;"  citizens  of  Junius 
in  carriages,  preceded  by  the  Martial  Band  from  that 
place  ;  next  came  the  Seneca  Falls  delegation,  headed  by 
the  Cornet  Band  of  that  town,  consisting  of  a  large  num- 
ber of  mounted  men  led  by  a  company  of  Yates'  Dragoons 
of  Syracuse,  young  ladies  in  white  representing  the  town, 
and  wagons  of  industrial  products  from  the  manufac- 
tories of  Rumsey  and  Gould  ;  Romulus  was  represented 
by  a  handsomely  decorated  car  of  beautiful  young  ladies 


254  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

and  a  large  number  of  her  citizens  in  carriages,  while, 
bringing  up  the  rear,  was  the  Tyre  delegation  and  a  long 
line  of  carriages. 

The  procession  moved  down  Main  street  to  Inslee, 
through  Inslee  to  Williams,  up  Williams  to  Virginia, 
through  Virginia  to  !Srorth  and  through  North  to  the  Fair 
Grounds.  It  moved  with  the  greatest  precision  and  regu- 
larity, was  over  two  miles  in  length  and  occupied  one 
hour  of  time  in  passing  a  given  point.  Its  like  was  never 
witnessed  in  Seneca  County  before  and  probably  never 
will  be  again.  Arriving  at  the  Fair  Grounds,  the  differ- 
ent  towns  marched  to  the  tents  assigned  them,  disbanded, 
and  assembled  in  front  of  the  Grand  Stand.  The  exer- 
cises here  were  opened  by  REV.  DR.  G  RIDLEY,  with 

prayer. 

*  *  *  * 

[The  article  then  refers  at  length  to  the  exercises  at  the  Grand  Stand, 
and  includes  the  addresses,  &c.,  which  are  given  elsewhere.] 

The  exercises  at  the  stand  were  concluded  by  the  ben- 
ediction, pronounced  by  the  REV.  P.  E.  SMITH,  of  Tyre, 
after  wThich  the  officers  and  invited  guests  repaired  to  the 
Waterloo  banquet  tent,  where  the  ladies  of  the  village  had 
prepared  an  elegant  collation.  The  tables  were  set  to 
accommodate  some  four  hundred  and  fifty  persons  and 
fairly  groaned  under  the  weight  of  the  good  things  of 
earth  with  which  they  were  supplied.  After  the  dinner 
had  been  partaken  of.  the  Town  sentiments  were  an- 
nounced by  JUDGE  MILLER,  and  responded  to  in  every 
instance  save  that  of  Fayetce,  the  respondent  from  that 

town  being  unable  to  attend  on  account  of  illness. 

*  *  * .  * 

While  the  officers  and  invited  guests  were  enjoying  the 
banquet,  a  large  concourse  of  people  were  walking  about 
the  grounds,  inspecting  the  different  attractions  and 
looking  over  the  tented  field.  One  of  the  principal  ob- 
jects of  interest,  and  one  that  attracted  the  attention  of 
both  old  and  young,  was  the  log  oabin,  most  ably  pre- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  255 

sided  over  by  COLONEL  HORACE  F.  GUSTIN  of  Waterloo, 
than  whom  no  one  in  this  county  knows  better  how  to 
make  the  inside  of  a  log  cabin  look  like  the  rude  but 
comfortable  and  hospitable  homes  of  the  early  pioneers  of 
this  section.  He  was  busy  all  day  long  entertaining  his 
guests  and  the  cabin  was  thronged.  Back  of  the  log 
cabin  was  the  press  tent,  where  the  newspaper  men  of 
Seneca  County  entertained  their  brothers  from  abroad. 
The  sideboard  was  bounteously  supplied  with  wines  and 
cigars,  and  the  occupants  enjoyed,  as  one  of  their  num- 
ber expressed  it,  "a  grand,  good  time." 

•    \          X  •*  *  * 

The  exercises  at  the  Fair  Grounds  having  been  com- 
pleted, the  vast  assemblage  repaired  to  the  Academy 
Park  to  witness  the  dedication  of  the  monument  which 
had  been  erected  by  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical 
Society.  The  exercises  were  presided  over  by  MR.  WALTER 
QUINBY.  Prayer  was  offered  by  the  REV.  DR.GRIDLEY,  af- 
ter which  HON.  A.  L.CmLDS,of  Waterloo, the  Dedicatory 
Orator,  was  introduced  and  delivered  the  address. 

At  the  conclusion  of  MR.  CHILDS  speech,  JUDGE  HALL 
of  Auburn  was  introduced  and  spoke. 

[The  addresses  of  Mr.  Clulds  and  of  Judge  Hall  are  given  elsewhere.] 

*  *  *  * 

The  fireworks  in  the  evening  and  the  dancing  parties 
at  the  Malt  house  and  Academy  of  Music  closed  the  days 
festivities.  The  committee  on  fireworks  made  a  fine 
selection  and  the  display  was  the  grandest  and  most 
satisfactory  ever  witnessed  in  Waterloo.  The  opportuni- 
ty for  seeing  the  fireworks  was  excellent,  and  although 
Main  street  was  packed  so  closely  with  people  that  loco- 
motion was  hardly  possible,  yet  all  appeared  satisfied 
and  viewed  the  spectacle  without  complaint,  until  the  last 
piece  had  been  touched  off.  The  dances  were  attended 
by  a  large  and  orderly  number  of  people  both  from 
Waterloo  and  abroad,  who  "tripped  the  light  fantastic" 


256  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

until  late  the  following  morning. 

Yarious  statements  have  been  made  as  to  the  number 
of  people  present, but  we  are  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  es- 
timate them, as  the  town  seemed  to  be  full  everywhere.  The 
country  people  commenced  arriving  as  early  as  seven  in 
the  morning,in  wagons  from  every  direction.  The  trains 
were  loaded  down  with  passengers  and  several  steam 
yachts  came  down,  heavily  laden,  from  Geneva.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  entire  inhabitants  from  this  section  of 
the  country  had  assembled  at  Waterloo,  determined  to 
swell  the  throng.  We  think  there  were,  including  the 
inhabitants  of  Waterloo,  at  least  twenty  thousand  peo- 
ple present  on  the  grounds  during  the  day.  This  number 
is  at  least  one-half  more  than  ever  before  assembled  at  a 
celebration  in  this  county.  We  noticed  among  the  vast 
multitude  the  familiar  faces  of  many  old  residents  of  Wa- 
terloo, at  present  living  in  other  States  and  counties, 
who  came  forward  to  see  "old  Seneca"  do  herself  proud. 
*_«•*« 

From  beginning  to  end  the  Celebration  was  a  grand 
success,  and  no  event  in  the  history  of  Seneca  County 
has  attracted  so  much  attention  as  this.  The  people  of 
this  county,  who  have  never  been  lacking  in  enterprise 
and  perseverance  in  anything  undertaken  by  them,  went 
right  to  work,  at  its  first  inception,  with  the  necessary 
arrangements  for  making  the  event  the  grandest  success 
possible. 

All  the  necessary  committees  were  early  appointed  to 
arrange  the  details,  and  in  connection  with  the  officers 
of  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  to  get 
up  a  programme  at  once  interesting  to  old  and  young. 
The  local  committees  are  entitled  to  much  credit  for  per- 
forming the  arduous  labors,  always  required  on  such  oc- 
casions, and  for  the  complete  and  satisfactory  manner  in 
which  they  performed  their  work.  In  fact,  all  the  com- 
mitees  that  in  any  way  had  charge  of  the  arrangements 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  257 

for  the  celebration,  and  the  citizens  who  participated  in 
it,  are  to  be  congratulated  upon  the  success  which  atten- 
ded their  joint  efforts  to  make  the  occasion  one  which  has 
been  characterized  as— "a  bright  page  in  the  history  of 
Seneca  County." 

While  the  labors  of  all  are  meritorious,  special  men- 
tion is  due  to  Mr.  Charles  W.  Pratt,  chairman  of  the 
committee  on  decorations,  Messrs.  Solomon  Carman  and 
Jesse  Snook  of  the  committee  on  tents  and  grounds,  and 
Mr.  Walter  Quinby,  chairman  of  the  committee  on  enter- 
tainment, for  the  valuable  services  rendered  by  them  and 
their  associates, in  their  respective  departments,  and  whose 
efficiency  made  posssible  the  successful  result  attained. 
To  General  Hawley  and  Staff,  to  Colonel  Storke,  to  Cap- 
tain Birchmeyer  and  the  military  in  general,  whose  fine 
appearance  added  so  much  to  the  brilliancy  of  the  dis- 
play; to  the  united  bands,  whose  stirring  music  did  much 
for  keeping  up  the  enthusiasm  of  the  occasion;  to  the 
ladies,  whose  skillful  fingers  wrought  the  banners  and 
floral  offerings,  acd  who,  in  other  ways  contributed  their 
services — to  all  who  aided,  by  money  or  labor,  to  bring 
about  the  grand  result,  of  which  all  may  justly  feel 
proud,  thanks  and  congratulations  are  due. 


CENTENNIAL    ECHOES,  FEOM    THE    WATERLOO    OBSERVER. 

One' of  the  most  elegantly  and  gaudily  trimmed  build- 
ings in  town,  on  the  day  of  the  celebration,  was  the  New 
York  Central  Depot.  In  the  ticket  office  was  a  beautiful 
shield  composed  of  flowers  which  was  the  handiwork  of 
Mrs.  Charles  A.  Knox.  The  railroad  employees  are  to 
be  commended  for  the  tasty  manner  in  which  they  decor- 
ated the  building. 

The  Centennial  committee  are  receiving,  from  all*  quar- 
ters, congratulations  upon  the  splendid  success  of  the 
celebration  of  September  third.  A  gentleman  of  culture 


258  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

and  refinement  from  a  neighboring  county, writes  ;  "It  was 
an  admirable  success,  and  is  a  bright  page  in  your 
county's  history." 

The  cartoons  which  for  several  days  have  been  dis- 
played in  the  windows  of  Messrs.  Carman  &  Allen's 
store,  have  been  the  objects  of  much  amusement  and  ad- 
miration. They  were  drawn  by  Mr.  Charles  Van  Yleet. 

Mr.  E.  F.  Slack,  ticket  agent  and  operator  at  the  depot, 
reports  the  immense  sale  of  nearly  three  thousand  tick- 
ets at  this  station,  on  Centennial  day.  Of  course  they 
were  mostly  for  Geneva  and  Seneca  Falls, 


During  the  rain-storm  of  Wednesday  last, a  number  of 
Chinese  lanterns,  strung  up  in  front  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Hall- 
sted's  residence,  plainly  demonstrated  the  fact  that  they 
were  not  water-proof. 

Many  residences  were  beautifully  decorated  and  also 
illuminated  in  the  evening.  It  was  hard  work  to  find 
which  were  the  most  handsome,  and  we  conclude  to  be 
strictly  impartial. 

Of  the  bands  present  too  much  cannot  be  said.  They 
furnished  good  music  and  presented  a  fine  appearance. 
The  Moravia  Cornet  Band,  in  regimental  uniform,  with 
Mr.  Cassius  Williams  of  Seneca  Falls,  Drum-Major,  led 
the  49th  Regiment,  and  was  the  first  in  line.  Following 
was  our  own  Cornet  Band,  twenty-one  strong,  with 
George  Diffin,  Jr.,  of  Ithaca,  Drum-Major.  Third  in 
line,  came  Mead's  Cornet  Band  of  Geneva,  in  full  uni- 
form and  though  not  as  strong  in  number  as  the  two  pre- 
ceding, they  furnished  good  music.  Next  came  the 
G.  A.  R.  Band  of  Seneca  Falls,  and  they,  as  usual,  pre- 
sented a  fine  appearance  and  furnished  good  music.  Next 
came  the  Phelps  Band,  escorting  the  uniformed  Odd  Fel- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  259 

lows'  Tent  from  Geneva.  Next  in  line  came  the  Canoga 
Cornet  Band,  the  Fayette  Martial  Band,  then  the  Junius 
Martial  Band,  and  last,  but  not  least,  came  the  Seneca 
Falls  Cornet  Band,  with  Mr.  M.  J.  Flanagan,  as  Drum- 
Major.  Taken  all  in  all,  the  people  of  Waterloo  have 
never  before  had  the  pleasure  of  listening  to  as  much,  or 
as  good  music,  as  upon  this  occasion. 

After  the  procession  was  within  the  Fair  Grounds  and 
properly  paraded,  General  Guion  accompanied  by  his 
aids  rode  up  to  the  grand  stand,  and  saluting  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  Day,  announced  all  things  in  readiness  for  the 
commencement,  of  the  literary  exercises,  and  formally 
turned  over  his  command.  The  marshal  subsequently 
felicitated  himself  upon  "escaping  the  responsibility  of 
that  never  to  be  forgotten  rain  storm,  the  command  having 
been  turned  over  to  Judge  Miller  before  the  storm  began," 


[FROM  THE  SENECA  COUNTY  NEWS,  WATERLOO.] 

The  long  preparations  for  this  interesting  event  culmi- 
nated on  Wednesday,  with  the  grandest  parade  and  eel- 
bra  tion  that  Waterloo  or  Seneca  County  ever  saw.  The 
citizens  of  our  village  were  busy  Tuesday, decorating  the 
streets,  the  public  buildings,  the  stores  and  residences 
most  profusely.  Never  before  was  there  such  a  great  dis- 
play of  flags,  drapery,  Chinese  lanterns  and  patriotic 
decorations  in  Waterloo.  Large  flags  were  suspended 
across  Main  street  at  many  different  points,from  the  pub- 
lic park  to  the  Woolen  Mills.  From  the  Towsley  House 
roof  to  the  top  of  the  Seneca  County  News  office,  was  a 
rope,  from  which  floated  a  flag,  forty  feet  in  length.  Ap- 
propriate mottoes  of  welcome  and  general  rejoicing  were 
attached  to  many  of  the  banners  and  flags,  while  ever- 
green trimmings  adorned  the  piazzas  and  entrances  of 
buildings.  Virginia  street  was  not  a  bit  behind  in  her 

17. 


260  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

demonstrations,  and  above  the  railroad  track, eight  large 
flags  were  strung  across  the  street  at  different  points. 
The  citizens  of  that  street  vied  with  each  other  in  decor- 
ating their  dwellings.  The  residences  of  Mr.  Godfrey 
Selmser,  Rev.  M.  D.  Kneeland,  C.  D.  Morgan  and  others 
were  particularly  fine.  Mr.  Augustus  Clark's  house  at 
the  corner  of  Virginia  and  North  streets,  was  handsomely 
trimmed,  while  the  now  home  of  Mr.  George  Donnally, 
on  jNorth  street,  off  from  Virginia,  leading  to  the  Fair 
Grounds,  looked  beautiful  with  its  profuse  adornment. 
Elisha  street  and  Williams  street,  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach,  showed  by  their  general  appearance,  that  the  resi- 
dents of  those  localities  were  not  behind  in  their  gener- 
ous display  of  bunting  and  handsome  decorations.  In 
fact,  all  over  town  the  people  were  busy  on  Tuesday  for 
the  great  day,  Wednesday, 

THE    CELEBRATION    DAY 

was  ushered  in  with  the  thundering  of  guns  and  the  merry 
peals  of  all  the  bells  in  town.  At  an  early  hour  every 
body  was  astir  and  the  teams  poured  in  from  every  point 
until  the  streets  were  thronged.  Main  street  [was  in  a 
perfect  flutter  of  excitement.  From  all  the  windows 
the  bright  colored  flags  floated  gaily  in  the  morn- 
ing breeze.  The  stores  showed  their  bright  colors  of 
red,  white  and  blue,  in  heavy  drapery,  in  the  sho  w  win- 
dows and  outside  of  the  buildings. 

Selmser  &  Son  made  a  magnificent  display.  Mr. Fran- 
cis Bacon's  store  was  a  scene  of  splendor.  C.  R.  Morgan 
&  Co.  had  their  hardware  store  profusely  decorated. 
The  Towsley  House  windows  were  alive  with  flags;  the 
bank  building  was  draped  with  national  colors;  the  Ar- 
cade, the  Commercial  Hotel,  the  Rochester  House,  the 
railroad  depot,  were  most  beautiful  trimmed;  and  all  of 
the  business  firms  on  Main  street,  gave  up  their  trade  to 
devote  their  attention  to  the  decoration  of  their  stores. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  261 

The  residences  of  W.  H.  Burton  and  Mrs.  Wm.  Knox, 
on  Main  street,  were  conspicuous  for  their  brilliant  ap- 
pearance. Jamieson'  s  windows  and  whole  establishment 
were  deluged  with  decorations.  Kendig  &  Story  covered 
the  posts  of  their  awnings  with  flags  as  thick  as  they 
could  be  placed.  Locust  street  could  not  allow  the  ave- 
nues of  Waterloo  all  the  honor, and  so  put  in  a  claim  for 
part  of  the  glory  by  doing  her  share  in  the  display. 
South  Waterloo  also  had  a  hand  in  the  celebration  and 
marked  the  event  by  liberal  decorations  of  evergreens 
and  national  colors. 

While  the  streets  were  thronged,  the  Tally-ho-Coach,, 
from  Sheldrake,  with  its  four-in-hand, made  trips  around 
town,  attracting  the  attention  of  all.  The  driver,  Mr. 
John  E.  Allen,  handled  his  steeds  admirably,  while  the- 
attendant,  with  his  long-winded  bugle,  sounded  the  notes 
of  advance,  until  they  echoed  all  over  the  village.  Be- 
fore nine  o'clock,  people  in  carriages  and  on  foot,  were 
going  towards  the  Maple  Grove  Fair  Grounds,  in  order 
to  see  the  procession  as  it  came  in,  and  to  witness  the  ex- 
ercises of  the  day.  The  regular  morning  trains  came  in 
loaded  with  passengers,  and  the  bands  of  music  welcomed 
them  as  they  arrived.  About  half-past  ten  the  49th  Reg- 
iment arrived  from  the  east  on  a  special  train.  They 
marched  down  Virginia  street  and  up  Main  street  to  join 
the  procession,  which  was  soon  to  form. 

THE   PROCESSION 

was  a  gigantic  affair.  It  was  nearly  two  miles  in  length. 
It  passed  down  Main  street  to  Inslee  street  and  then 
back  through  Williams  street  to  Virginia  and  from 
thence  to  the  Fair  Grounds.  To  give  some  idea  of  the  im-  , 
mensity  of  this  parade,  those  who  were  near  the  head  of 
the  column,  while  crossing  the  railroad  at  Virginia  street, 
could  look  back  and  still  see  them  marching  down  Main 
street  by  the  Towsley  House.  If  our  readers  will  bear  in 


262  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

mind  that  the  procession  occupied  the  whole  of  Main 
street  from  above  the  park  to  below  the  woolen  miils  ; 
then  across  to  Williams  street;  then  all  the  way  back  on 
Williams  street  to  Virginia,  and  on  towards  the  Fair 
Grounds,  they  will  realize,  in  a  measure,  the  immensity 
of  this  parade.  Cheer  after  cheer  went  up  from  all  quar- 
ters, as  the  soldiers,  the  horsemen,  the  triumphal  chari- 
ots, the  bands  of  music  and  the  citizens  marched  by.  It 
required  more  than  an  hour  for  the  line  to  pass  a  given 
point. 

All  the  towns  of  Seneca  county  contributed  to  this 
grand  pageant  and  a  friendly  rivalry  existed,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  most  brilliant,  moving  panorama  of  life, 
ever  before  witnessed  in  this  county.  Indeed,  the  gen- 
eral remark  is,  that  we  never  will  witness  its  like  again, 
in  this  region,  between  the  lakes  of  Cayuga  and  Seneca. 
Nine  bands  of  music  were  distributed  in  the  procession: 
the  49th  Regiment  Band,  the  Waterloo  Cornet  Band, 
Mead's  Brass  Band  of  Geneva,  Seneca  Falls  G.  A.  R. 
Band,  Phelps  Brass  Band,  Canoga  Brass  Band, a  Martial 
Band  from  Fayette  and  one  from  Jumus,  and  the  Seneca 
Falls  Cornet  Band. 

General  George  M.  Guion  of  Seneca  Falls  was  the 
Grand  Marshal  of  the  parade.  He  managed  the  affair 
with  great  skill,  and,  with  his  aids,  the  whole  line  of 
march  was  accomplished  in  good  order.  Conspicuous  in 
the  procession  were  General  Hawley  and  staff,  mounted, 
who  made  a  fine  appearance;  also  the  49th  regiment  in 
uniform,  with  fixed  bayonets.  Captain  Paul  Birchmeyer's 
battery,  with  brass  field  pieces  and  attendants,  added 
much  to  the  parade. 

The  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, Post  Ty ler  J.  Snyder 
of  Waterloo,  Post  Swift  of  Geneva  and  Gordon  Granger 
Post  of  Phelps,  were  finely  represented.  The  Odd  Fel- 
lows from  Geneva,  the  guests  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  oi'  Wat- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  263 

erloo,  were  in  uniform  and  made  a  tine  showing.  The 
President  of  the  Day,  Hon.  J.  T.  Miller,  with  the  Presi- 
dent of  the  village,  Mr.  John  Reamer,  accompanied  by 
the  Orator,  Historian,  Poet,  and  other  distinguished 
guests,  occupied  prominent  positions.  The  young  ladies 
from  Waterloo,  dressed  in  white,  rode  in  the  Tally-ho- 
Coach.  The  Patrons  of  Husbandry  appeared  with  a  gor- 
geous oar, representing  the  grains, fruits  and  flowers,  with 
three  young  ladies,  each  personating  respectively,  Ceres. 
Pomona  and  Flora. 

Fayette  was  brilliantly  conspicubus  in  the  throng.  The 
thirteen  original  States  were  represented  by  young  ladies, 
robed  in  white,  wearing  broad,blue  sashes,  with  the  names 
of  the  States  in  large  gilt  letters.  In  the  group  the  God- 
dess of  Liberty  was  also  represented. 

*  *  *  * 

Seneca  Falls  deserves  great  credit  for  the  part  she  took 
in  the  procession.  Her  manufactures  were  represented 
by  beautiful  specimens  from  the  Goulds'  and  Rumseys' 
faclories,  the  wagons  containing  the  same  being  beauti- 
fully decorated  with  flags  and  evergreens.  The  mounted 
men,  the  music,  and  the  general  appearance  of  Seneca 
Falls,  was  a  subject  of  general  comment  and  praise. 

Romulus,  too,  with  its  ear  of  ladies,  dressed  in  white, 
and  her  citizens  is  worthy  of  notice.  Junius,  with  her 
mounted  men  and  martial  music  ;  Tyre,  with  her  long 
line  of  carriages,  and,  indeed,  all  the  towns,  that  took 
part  so  nobly  in  this  great  undertaking,  deserve  special 
mention. 

Arriving  at  the  Fair  Grounds,   the  order  of  exercises 
was  carried   out  according   to   the   programme,   as   an- 
nounced last  week  in  the  Seneca  County  News. 
*  *  *.  * 

[The  article  then  Describes  the  exercises  at  the  grand  stand, which  are 
omitted  here.] 

The  banquet  and  re-union  were  evidently  interesting  to 


264  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

all.  Each  town,  with  the  exception  of  Fayette,  had  a 
representative  who  responded  with  appropriate  words, as 
their  town  was  named  by  the  President  of  the  Day.  The 
toast,  "The  State  of  New  York,''  was  responded  to  by 
Hon.  W.  H.  Bogart.  i).  B.  Lum,with  a  few  well-chosen 
remarks, answered,  to  the  sentiment,  "The  Pioneer  Settlers 
of  Seneca  County."  Hon.  S,  R.  TenEyck  responded  to 
"The  Judiciary  and  Legal  Profession."  Other  toasts  re- 
ceived hearty  responses  and  speeches  from  the  guests  pres- 
sent. 

The  rain  interfered  somewhat  with  the  exercises  and 
the  programme  was,  in  part,  shortened. 

Toward  night,  a  crowd  assembled  at  the  park,  where 
the  monument,  erected  by  the  Waterloo  Library  and  His- 
torical Society  was  dedicated.  Mr.  Walter  Quinby  pre- 
sided. Prayer  was  offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Gridley  ; 
an  address  delivered  by  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs  and  some  re- 
marks made  by  Judge  Hall  of  Auburn. 

The  fireworks  in  the  evening  were  brilliant.  The  whole 
of  Main  street  was  illuminated  and  the  scene  was  one  of 
rare  beauty.  The  dances  at  the  Malt  House  and  the 
Academy  of  Music  were  well  attended.  Altogether  the 
day  was  a  remarkable  one.  Estimates  have  been  made 
and  it  is  thought  that  25,000  people  were  in  Waterloo 
that  day.  The  whole  celebration  was  characterized  by 
harmony,  good  feeling  and  general  rejoicing  by  all.  The 
decorations  at  the  Fair  Grounds,  the  tents,  the  banners, 
the  platforms,  the  log  cabin,  the  music,  the  refreshments, 
etc.,  all  showed  that  an  immense  amount  of  work  had  been 
accomplished ;  while  the  general  verdict  of  all  was,  that 
the  efforts  of  Waterloo,  of  the  Library  and  Historical 
Society,  and  the  people  of  Seneca  County,  were  duly 
appreciated  by  the  immense  number  assembled  to  witness 
and  enjoy  the  Sullivan  centennial  celebration  of  the  third 
of  September. 


* 

OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  265 

[FROM  THE  SENECA  COTJNTY  COURIER,  SENECA  FALLS.] 

The  expedition  of  General  John  Sullivan  into  the  coun- 
try of  the  Iroquois,  with  the  results  which  he  accomplish- 
ed, is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  important  events  of 
the  war  for  independence,  and  the  commemorative  cele- 
brations that  are  being  held  during  the  present  year,  will 
give  it  its  proper  place  in  the  list  of  military  exploits 
connected  with  the  birth  of  the  American  republic.  It 
was  essentially  one  of  the  turning  points  of  the  revolu- 
tion, and  cannot  be  considered  as  of  secondary  import- 
ance in  connection  with  the  movements  which  finally  cul- 
minated in  the  formation  of  the  nation.  The  little  band 
of  colonies  were  fighting  for  liberty  and  freedom  from 
British  tyranny ;  three  years  of  persistent  warfare  had 
passed  before  the  cause  of  the  struggling  colonies  began 
to  brighten  ;  the  summer  of  1777,  left  a  record  of  mingled 
victories  and  disasters ;  the  defeat  and  capture  of  Bur 
goyne'  s  army  was  followed  the  next  season  by  attacks 
upon  the  frontier  settlements  of  JSTew  York  and  Penn- 
sylvania ;  the  fate  of  Wyoming  and  Cherry  Valley,  with 
their  tales  of  cruel  butchery,  was  the  signal  for  a  new 
line  of  action.  The  road  to  success,  up  to  1779,  had 
seemed  clouded  with  difficulties  at  every  step ;  Washing- 
ton had  recognized  the  discouraging  aspect  of  affairs,  and, 
after  the  massacre  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  border  towns, 
determined  to  carry  the  war  to  the  extreme  border  of  the 
enemy' s  country.  While  his  resolute  army  was  strug- 
gling for  victory  from  point  to  point,  at  Bennington, 
Saratoga,  Monmouth,  and  on  through  the  British  lines, 
the  allies  of  the  British  king  were  waging  a  conflict  in  the 
rear,  which,  until  suppressed,  rendered  an  ultimate 
triumph  almost  impossible.  General  Washington  fully 
realized  the  situation  and  planned  an  expedition  into  the 
territory  of  the  Indians  who  were  aiding  the  British,  not 
only  in  battle  but  with  supplies  from  their  fertile  fields, 
with  a  view  of  chastising  them  for  their  deeds  at  Wyo- 


266 

ming,  Cherry  Valley  and  elsewhere,  and  so  completely 
laying  waste  their  country,  that  they  would  be  more  of  a 
burden  to  the  British  than  a  source  of  supply.  It  was  a 
military  necessity  and  the  undertaking  was  in  many  re- 
spects a  hazardous  one.  The  result,  however,  proved  the 
wisdom  of  General  Sullivan's  selection,  and  the  prompt 
and  faithful  manner, in  which  he  carried  out  the  orders  of 
General  Washington,  justly  entitles  him  to  all  the  honors 
his  countrymen  can  pay  his  memory  during  this  centen- 
nial year.  Seneca  County  has  done  honor  to  herself  in 
paying  a  tribute  to  the  heroic  service  of  General  Sullivan, 
and  these  centennial  celebrations  will  serve  to  draw  out 
the  full  importance  of  his  campaign  against  the  Six 
Nations,  and  assign  to  it  its  proper  place  in  the  history 
of  the  war,  which  secured  the  freedom  of  the  American 
colonies  and  gave  us  the  republic  of  to-day. 

The  celebration  at  Waterloo  was  in  commemoration  of 
the  destruction  of  the  Indian  village  of  Skoi-yase  on  the 
8th  of  September,  1779,  in  connection  •  with  the  general 
campaign  against  the  Iroquois.  The  movement  inaugu- 
rated by  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  was 
finally  merged  into  a  county  celebration.  The  arrange- 
ments had  been  in  progress  for  months  and  reached  a 
degree  of  completeness  that  surprised  even  those  who 
were  the  most  active  workers. 

Tuesday  was  a  busy  day.  The  Fair  Grounds  had 
already  assumed  a  circus  air,  with  tents  scattered  at 
different  points  and  the  most  active  preparation  on  every 
hand.  Down  town,  the  streets  presented  a  busy  scene, 
and  not  only  every  flag  but  every  yard  of  bunting  that 
could  be  secured  was  brought  into  requisition  for  the 
most  elaborate  decorations.  The  stores  and  private  resi- 
dences were  adorned  with  evergreens,  flags  and  bunting, 
and  by  night  the  whole  town  was  robed  in  patriotic 
colors.  Lieutenant  Governor  Dorsheimer  and  General 
Hawley  and  Staff  were  expected  to  arrive  by  the  late 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  267 

train  from  the  east,  and  the  reception  committee  met 
them  at  the  depot  with  the  Waterloo  Cornet  Band  and 
escorted  them  to  the  residence  of  Major  M.  D.  Mercer. 
A  large  crowd  had  gathered  in  the  streets  and  after  a 
brief  serenade,  Mr.  Dorsheimer  extended  his  thanks  for 
the  compliment  in  a  brief  and  appropriate  speech.  He 
alluded  to  the  fact  that,  shortly  after  the  arrival  of  his 
father  in  this  country,  a  poor  German  laborer,  he  settled 
in  Waterloo  and  followed  his  trade  as  a  miller.  He  ex- 
pressed himself  as  highly  gratified  at  the  opportunity  of 
being  able  to  respond  to  an  invitation  of  the  committee 
to  address  the  citizens  of  Seneca  County,  upon  so  import- 
ant an  occasion  as  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
G-eneral  Sullivan's  Campaign.  General  Hawley  was 
called  for,  and  after  presenting  himself  to  the  crowd,  he 
introduced  a  member  of  his  Staff  as  his  respondent,  who 
very  briefly  conveyed  the  thanks  of  the  General  and  his 
Staff  for  the  compliment  paid  them. 

Wednesday  morning  having  arrived,  the  only  thing  left 
to  make  the  celebration  a  success,  was  the  very  uncertain 
programme  of  the  clerk  of  the  weather.  A  slight  sprinkle 
in  the  morning  predetermined  unpropitious  weather 
which  was  verified  in  the  afternoon.  An  extra  train  of 
fifteen  cars  went  west  to  Waterloo  in  the  forenoon,  but 
these  were  inadequate  to  accommodate  the  people  from 
this  place.  The  Guion  Guard  and  the  Noyes  Guard,  ac- 
companied by  the  Grand  Army  Band  and  the  Seneca 
Falls  Cornet  Band,  went  up  on  the  train  at  ten  o'clock. 
The  people  of  the  surrounding  country  began  coming 
into  Waterloo  as  early  as  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
by  ten  o'  clock  the  streets  were  almost  impassible.  Every 
corner  and  every  street  crossing  was  crowded  with  peo- 
ple. 

The  procession  began  to  form  in  line  at  the  Academy 
Park  as  early  as  ten  o'clock, and  when  the  hour  of  eleven 
had  arrived,  the  whole  body  was  in  motion.  General 


268  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Guion,  the  Grand  Marshal,  and  his  assistants,  arranged 
the  different  organizations  in  the  respective  positions 
assigned  them,  and  the  line  was  made  up  very  nearly  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  printed  programme. 


The  procession  was  beyond  a  question  the  finest  ever 
witnessed  in  Western  New  York.  It  moved  with  the 
greatest  regularity  and  precision,  being  about  two  miles 
in  length,  and  occupying  a  full  hour  by  the  watch  in 
passing  a  given  point.  The  line  of  march  was  down  Main 
street  to  Inslee,  from  Inslee  to  Williams,  then  up  Virginia 
to  North,  from  North  to  Swift,  and  then  direct  to  the 
Fair  Grounds.  Arriving  at  the  Grounds,  the  different 
town  organizations  in  the  parade  repaired  to  tents  assigned 
to  them,  and  after  disbanding,  joined  the  crowd  in  front 
of  the  grand  stand.  The  permanent  grand  stand  at  the 
Fair  Grounds  was  used,  and  in  front  of  it  was  erected  a 

pavilion  for  the  speakers'  stand. 

*  *  *  * 

The  exercises  were  opened  by  prayer  by  REV.  DR.  GRID- 
LEY.  MR.  JOHN  REAMER,  President  of  the  Village  of 
Waterloo,  then  made  the  address  of  welcome,  after  which 
JUDGE  MILLER  of  Seneca  Falls,  President  of  the  day, 
.gave  an  address.  He  then  introduced  LIEUT. -GOVERNOR 

DORSHEIMER. 

*  .  *  *  * 

While  Mr.  Dorsheimer  was  speaking,  the  rain  which 
had  threatened  all  the  morning,  began  to  fall,  which  made 
it  not  only  unpleasant  for  the  people,  but  very  annoying 
to  the  speaker.  Notwithstanding  the  rain,  the  people  re- 
mained around  the  stand  and  listened  with  a  good  degree 
of  attention.  At  the  conclusion  of  Mr.  Dorsheimer' s 
speech,  which  occupied  about  an  hour,  REV.  DAVID 
CRAFT,  the  historian  of  the  occasion,  was  introduced ;  after 
that,  REV.  DWIGHT  WILLIAMS  read  a  poem.  The  exer- 
cises being  concluded,  the  officers  and  invited  guests 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  269 

repaired  to  the  Waterloo  banquet  tent,  where,  after  due 
justice  was  rendered  to  the  viands,  the  sentiments  were 
announced  by  JUDGE  MILLER  and  responded  to  by  repre- 
sentatives of  the  several  towns. 

*  *  *  * 

The  Maple  Grove  driving  park,  where  the  exercises 
were  held,  was  arranged  in  an  admirable  manner  and  the 
scenic  attractions  were  of  the  most  pleasing  nature.  The 
various  tents  were  arranged  as  follows:  the  first,  in  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  grounds,  was  the  lunch  tent  of  the 
Grand  Army  boys  and  ex-soldiers  ;  next  to  this  was  the 
banquet  tent ;  then  the  tent  of  the  49th  Regiment  and, 
on  a  line  extending  to  the  east,  were  stationed  the  tents 
of  the  ten  different  towns  of  the  County. 

After  the  exercises  at  the  Fair  Grounds  were  concluded 
the  assemblage  repaired  to  the  Academy  park,  where 
dedicatory  ceremonies  at  the  monument  took  place,  a 
stand  being  erected  from  the  porch  of  the  union  school 
building.  After  a  prayer  by  REV.  DR.  GRIDLEY,  JUDGE 
HALL  made  a  few  remarks,  followed  by  HON.  A.L.  CHILDS, 

who  delivered  the  dedicatory  address. 

*•*•** 

It  was  now  almost  dark  and  the  audience  was  dis- 
missed. 

In  the  evening,  many  of  the  stores  and  residences  were 
brilliantly  illuminated  and  a  fine  display  of  fireworks 
was  given  at  the  Academy  park.  The  reception  and 
dance  at  the  Malt  House  was  well  attended  and  was  in 
every  respect  a  very  pleasant  affair. 

[FROM  THE  SENECA  FALLS  REVEILLE.] 

The  celebration  of  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
General  John  Sullivan's  Campaign  against  the  Indians 
occurred  at  Waterloo  on  Wednesday,  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society.  It  was 


270  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

a  magnificent  success,  and  one  of  the  grandest  demonstra- 
tions ever  witnessed  in  this  part  of  the  State. 

At  an  early  hour  the  arrivals  from  out  of  town  began, 
and  long  before  noon,  an  immense  concourse  of  people 
filled  the  streets. of  the  village,  presenting  a  lively  and 
animated  appearance. 

Great  preparations  had  been  made  for  the  e^ent,  and 
never  did  the  quiet  and  peaceful  village  of  Waterloo  ap- 
pear so  gay  and  joyful.  Almost  the  entire  village  was 
crowned  with  garlands  and  wreathed  with  flags,  transpa- 
rencies and  mottoes  of  various  kinds  and  descriptions. 
Thousands  of  flags  floated  to  the  breeze  and  the  display 
was  the  grandest  and  most  satisfactory  ever  witnessed  in 
this  section  of  the  State. 

Soon  after  11  o'clock, the  procession  began  to  form  near 
the  park  under  the  direction  of  General  George  M.  Guion 
as  Grand  Marshal,  and  his  assistants.  There  were  eleven 
divisions,  each  one  being  properly  commanded.  All  the 
towns  of  the  county  were  represented.  The  several  divi- 
sions moved  promptly  at  the  appointed  hour,  and  when 
in  full  motion  they  presented  an  imposing  appearance. 
*  *  *  * 

The  procession  was  about  two  miles  in  length,  and 
moved  in  perfect  order.  It  passed  through  the  principal 
streets  to  the  Fair  Grounds,  where  the  public  exercises 
were  held. 

The  grounds  presented  the  appearance  of  a  tented  field. 
To  the  delegation  from  each  town  had  been  assigned  a 
large  tent,  and  great  pains  had  been  taken  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  grand  stand  for  the  occasion.  It  is  estimated 
that  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  people  were  present 
at  the  beginning  of  the  exercises.  A  rain  storm  which 
set  in  speedily,  reduced  the  number,  although  many  re- 
mained during  the  entire  performance. 

At  about  1  o'clock,  JUDGE  MILLER,  as  President  of  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  271 

Day,  called  the  assembly  to  order,  and  introduced  REV. 
DR.  GRIDLEY,  who  offered  a  prayer  suitable  to  the  occa- 
sion. This  was  followed  by  an  Address  of  Welcome  by 
MR,  JOHN  REAMER,  President  of  the  village,  an  Intro- 
ductory Address  by  GENERAL  J.  T.  MILLER,  an  Oration 
by  LIEUTENANT  GOVERNOR  WILLIAM  DORSHEIMER,  a 
Historical  Address  by  REV.  DAVID  CRAFT  and  a  Poem  by 
REV.  D WIGHT  WILLIAMS. 

The  historical  address  by  Rev.  David  Craft  was  a  most 
interesting  history  of  Sullivan's  expedition,  and  was  lis- 
tened to  with  marked  attention. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises  at  the  grand  stand, 
which  had  been  tastefully  trimmed  for  the  occasion,  a 
large  number  repaired  to  the  banquet  tent,  where  a 
sumptuous  dinner  had  been  prepared  by  the  ladies  of 
Waterloo.  After  dinner,  toasts  were  read  and  respond- 
ed to  by  a  number  of  local  speakers. 

*  *  *  * 

Prom  the  Fair  Grounds  the  procession  marched  to  the 
park,  where  the  Sullivan  monument  was  dedicated  with 
appropriate  ceremonies.  The  principal  address  on  this 
occasion  was  made  by  HON.  A.  L.  GUILDS. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  grand  display  of  fireworks, 
which  attracted  a  vast  number  of  spectators.  Altogether 
the  day  was  appropriately  celebrated,  and  great  credit  is 
due  the  executive  committee  for  the  admirable  manner 
in  which  they  carried  through,  to  a  successful  termination, 
every  part  of  the  programme. 


[FROM  THE  WATERLOO  CORRESPONDENT  OF  THE  SENECA 
FALLS  REVEILLE.] 

General  J.  T.  Miller  presided  at  the  celebration  cere- 
monies with  dignity  and  success.     His  remarks  were  in 


272  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

good  taste  and  of  a  very  appropriate  character.  The 
managers  could  not  have  selected  a  better  presiding 
officer. 


Special  trains  brought  multitudes  of  people  to  the  Sul- 
livan Centennial  Celebration.  It  is  estimated  that  two 
thousand  five  hundred  came  from  the  west  on  the  10:15 
A.M.  train.  The  lowest  estimate  of  the  number  at  the  cele- 
bration was  ten  thousand. 

Never  was  Waterloo  so  crowded  with  people  as  on 
Wednesday.  An  old  resident  of  the  village  remarked  to  us 
that  the  number  here  at  the  time  Chapman  was  executed, 
although  very  large,  was  not  to  be  compared  to  the  mul- 
titude of  Wednesday. 

The  Observer  of  this  week  contains  a  number  of  letters 
from  distinguished  men  who  were  invited  to  take  part  in 
the  Centennial  Celebration.  Prominent  among  them  are 
those  of  Benson  J.  Lossing,  Chief  Justice  Church,  Erastus 
Brooks.  Winslow  C.  Watson,  Charles  E,  Stuart  and  Dr. 
Elmendorf. 


The  oration  of  Lieutenant- Governor  Dorsheimer  on 
Wednesday  was  a  masterly  production.  It  was  listened 
to  with  profound  attention  by  a  large  concourse  of  people, 
notwithstanding  the  rain  storm  that  set  in.  There  are 
few  public  men  in  the  State  who  impress  themselves  upon 
an  audience  more  favorably  than  Lieu  tenant- Governor 
William  Dorsheimer. 


Our  former  townsman,  Mr.  S.  R.  Ten  Eyck,  who  is  now 
a  member  of  the  New  York  bar,  is  in  town  for  a  few  days. 
He  came  here  to  attend  the  celebration  and  responded  in 
a  very  happy  manner  to  the  toast,  "The  Judiciary  and 
the  Bar."  His  many  friends  are  glad  to  greet  him  once 
more. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  273 

The  number  of  representatives  of  the  press  at  the 
celebration  on  Wednesday  was  quite  small,  comparatively 
few  outside  of  the  county  being  present.  A  special  tent 
was  set  apart  for  their  use,  which  was  well  supplied  with 
good  things.  Major  Joyes  of  the  Observer  was  chairman 
of  the  press  committee,  and  was  active  in  his  efforts  to 
make  all  feel  at  home. 


Lieutenant-Governor  Dorsheimer  and  wife  were  guests 
of  Major  Mercer  and  family  on  Tuesday  night  and  Wed- 
nesday. On  Tuesday  evening,  Mr.  Dorsheimer  was 
serenaded  by  the  band,  in  response  to  which  he  made  a 
brief  speech,  alluding  to  the  fact  that  at  an  early  day  his 
father  was  a  resident  of  Waterloo.  They  returned  to  New 
York  on  Wednesday  evening. 


At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises  at  the  grand  stand 
on  Wednesday,  a  great  number  repaired  to  the  large  tent 
where  a  sumptuous  dinner  had  been  provided,  and  which 
was  served  in  fine  style  by  the  ladies  of  Waterloo.  After 
dinner,  speeches  in  response  to  toasts  were  made.  Each 
town  had  its  orator  present  and  all  acquitted  themselves 
in  a  very  creditable  manner.  Some  of  the  speeches,  in- 
deed, were  quite  eloquent,  and  all  were  interesting. 
Judge  Miller  presided  and  called  out  the  speakers. 

The  after  dinner  speech  of  Mr,  William  H.  Bogart  of 
Aurora,  at  the  Celebration,  in  reply  to  the  toast,  "The 
State  of  Sew  York,"  was  enthusiastically  received.  It 
was  pertinent,  timely  and  eloquent.  His  allusion  to  Kev. 
Dr.  Willers,  who  was  present,  and  who  fought  at  the 
battle  of  Waterloo,  was  a  graceful  tribute  to  that  vener- 
able and  highly  esteemed  clergyman. 

Everybody  appears  to  be  satisfied  with  the  celebration. 
Never  was  such  a  crowd  congregated  here  before,  and 


274  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

while  the  rain  sadly  interfered  with  the  exercises  at  the 
Fair  Grounds,  it  may  fairly  be  said  that  the  Celebration 
was  a  great  success.  Every  effort  was  made  by  Waterloo 
people  for  the  comfort  of  the  great  number  in  attendance. 
The  whole  town  seemed  to  be  engaged  in  extending  a 
cordial  and  heartfelt  welcome  to  all. 


The  Centennial  ball  at  the  Malt  house  on  Wednesday 
evening  was  an  elegant  affair,  and  attended  by  a  large 
party.  The  room  was  handsomely  decorated  for  the 
occasion,  and  the  music  was  especially  good. 


NOTES. 
The  depot  was  decorated  in  grand  style. 


Seneca  Falls,  as  was  expected,  made  the  finest  display. 


The  number  of  people  in  attendance,  was  variously  es- 
timated at  from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand. 


September  3d,  1879,  will  stand  on  record  as  the  biggest 
day  in  the  history  of  Seneca  County. 


Through  the  courtesy  of  some  ladies  of  Waterloo,  the 
members  of  the  Noyes  Guard  were  presented  with  button- 
hole bouquets.  * 


The  press  of  the  surrounding  country  was  well  repre- 
sented and  were  handsomely  entertained  at  the  press  tent 
in  rear  of  the  log  cabin. 

The  Grangers'  car  was  a  magnificent  affair,  with  its 
fruits,  flowers,  and  other  productions  of  the  soil, arranged 
in  the  most  artistic  manner, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  275 

The  rain  caused  many  to  leave  the  grounds,  so  that 
we  were  unable  to  get  as  full  a  description  of  the 
decorated  wagons  as  we  had  intended. 

D.  B.  Lum  appeared  to  be  the  youngest  passenger  in  a 
wagon  load  of  a  dozen  young  ladies  dressed  in  white,  re- 
presenting the  town  of  Seneca  Falls. 


The  dry  goods  store  of  G.  Selmser  &  Son  was  the  most 
tastefully  and  elaborately  decorated  building  on  Main 
street  and  attracted  the  attention  of  a  large  number  of 
people. 


It  was  the  general  remark  of  many  prominent  visitors 
from  Syracuse,  Rochester  and  other  cities,  that  the  pa- 
rade was  the  largest  and  finest  ever  pat  in  line  in  this 
State,  anywhere  west  of  Albany. 


Mrs.  Henry  Stowell,  Mrs.  J.  Marshall  Guion  and  Mrs. 
"Dennison  had  a  tent  on  the  grounds.  After  the  exercises 
at  the  grand  stand,  they  very  politely  entertained  Lieu- 
tenant Governor  Dorsheimer  and  a  few  other  invited 
guests. 

The  Rochester  Democrat  of  to-day  remarks  that,  "Wa- 
terloo ought  to  be  satisfied  as  it  boomed  the  Elmira  boom 
out  of  sight."  Such  was  the  verdict  of  every  one  pres- 
ent yesterday,  who  attended  the  Elmira  affair. 

While  the  procession  was  passing  down  Main  street, 
R.P.Kendig  appeared  on  the  shed  in  front  of  his  store, and 
led  the  crowd  on  the  sidewalk  in  three  rousing  cheers  as 
the  prominent  features  passed  by. 

Romulus  appeared  in  the  parade  with  a  wagon  contain- 
ing a  dozen  or  more  young  ladies  in  white,  with  blue 

18. 


276 

sashes  and  carrying  a  fine  banner  with  the  name  of  the 
town  inscribed  upon  it.  They  presented  a  fine  appear- 
ance. 


Judge  McMaster  of  Bath,  who  was  the  poet  at  the 
Newtown  Centennial  last  week,  came  down  to  witness  a 
better  celebration  than  Elmira  was  able  to  make,  and  he 
pronounced  the  entire  programme  and  arrangements  at 
Waterloo  far  more  complete  and  interesting  than  were 
witnessed  at  Elmira. 


Nearly  all  the  stores  and  a  majority  of  the  residences 
on  the  line  of  march  were  decorated  in  a  magnificent 
manner.  Main  street  was  one  line  of  flags  and  banners, 
while  on  Virginia  and  Williams  streets,  many  of  the 
houses  were  trimmed  in  the  most  patriotic  style. 


The  hardware  store  of  Carman  &  Allen  was  finely 
trimmed  with  bunting  and  the  windows  contained  large 
crayon  drawings  representing  General  Sullivan  in  the  act 
of  firing  a  cannon  at  a  big  chief  who  is  "digging  out  of 
Skoi-yase."  The  cartoons  attracted  much  attention. 


The  celebration  was  a  complete  success  in  every  respect, 
so  far  as  the  arrangements  in  detail,  the  large  attendance, 
and  the  interesting  and  admirable  programme  were  con- 
cerned, and  had  it  not  been  for  the  rain  every  one  pres- 
ent would  have  returned  home  with  the  most  pleasant 
recollections  of  the  occasion. 


The  Fayette  car  of  young  ladies  was  pronounced  by 
all,  to  be  the  finest  in  the  parade.  It  was  a.n  open  car 
built  expressly  for  the  occasion,  and  surmounted  with  a 
beautiful  sign  bearing  the  name  of  the  town,  upon  which 
an  American  eagle  was  perched.  Its  arrangement  was 
due  to  the  taste  and  skill  of  Mr.  W.  W.  Stacey.  The 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  277 

ladies  riding  in  this  car  were  provided  with  a  collation  at 
the  residence  of  Mr.  A.  F.  Illick  in  South  Waterloo. 


One  of  the  chief  attractions  on  the  Fair  Grounds  was 
the  log  cabin,  and  it  was  thronged  throughout  the  day. 
Ancient  relics  from  the  museum  of  the  Waterloo  Library 
and  Historical  Society  were  on  exhibition.  Colonel  Gustin 
had  charge  of  affairs  and  he  remained  constantly  in  atten- 
dance, courteously  pointing  out  the  different  articles  of 
interest  to  visitors.  Among  other  things,  was  an  arm-chair 
over  one  hundred  years  old  and  an  iron  spoon  over  two 
hundred  years  old.  Hanging  on  the  wall  was  a  photograph 
of  Mrs.  VanEpps,  daughter  of  Abram  A.  Covert,  she 
being  one  of  the  first  white  children  born  in  Seneca 
county. 


The  veterans  of  1812  and  the  pioneers  of  Seneca  County 
took  dinner  in  the  cabin,  using  pewter  plates  and  ancient 
cutlery.  Dried  apples  and  pumpkins  were  hanging  on 
strings  from  the  ceiling,  and  everything  representative  of 
primitive  times  was  to  be  seen. 


[FROM  THE  OVID  INDEPENDENT.] 
Undoubtedly  the  largest  crowd  of  people  ever  collected 
at  one  point  within  the  limits  of  this  county,  assembled 
at  Waterloo  on  Wednesday  last  to  participate  in  the  one 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  campaign  of  Sullivan's 
army  against  the  Indians  of  this  region.  The  number  of 
people  present  on  the  occasion  is  estimated  at  from  fif- 
teen to  twenty  thousand.  The  streets  and  all  public 
places  were  thronged  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning, 
and  all  the  trains  which  arrived  during  the  forenoon- 
much  belated  on  account  of  their  over-load  of  people- 
greatly  swelled  the  throng,  while  many  continued  to  ar- 
rive by  their  own  conveyance  from  the  surrounding 
country.  The  weather  during  the  forenoon  was  quite 


278  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

favorable,  the  sun  being  obscured  by  clouds,  and  a  cool 
breeze  stirring. 

The  procession,  which  did  not  move  until  nearly  noon, 
owing  to  the  delay  of  the  train  bearing  the  49th  Regi- 
ment, was  at  least  a  mile  and  a  half  in  length.  General 
George  M.  Guion  of  Seneca  Falls  was  the  chief  marshal, 
with  competent  assistants  from  each  town  in  the  county. 

The  display  was  very  fine,  and  elicited  enthusiastic 
greetings  along  the  line  of  march.  Stores,  hotels,  resi- 
dences, the  railroad  depot,  and  other  buildings,  were  gaily 
and  tastefully  decorated  with  bunting  and  flags.  On  the 
arrival  of  the  procession  at  the  Fair  Grounds  the  follow- 
ing exercises  were  gone  through  with  :  Prayer  by  REV.  DR. 
GRLDLEY;  address  of  welcome  by  JOHN  REAMER,  President 
of  the  Village ;  introductory  address  by  General  J.  T. 
MILLER;  oration  by  LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR  WILLIAM 
DORSHEIMER  ;  historical  address  by  REV.  DAVID  CRAFT 
and  a  poem  by  REV.  DWIGHT  WILLIAMS.  A  grand  stand, 
having  appropriate  decorations  and  mottoes,  had  been 
arranged  for  the  occasion,  and  immediately  in  front  of  this 
was  a  pavilion  for  the  speakers.  The  addresses  by  General 
Miller  and  Mr.  Dorsheimer  were  both  very  able  and  ap- 
propriate productions  ;  the  historical  sketch  by  Mr.  Craft 
showed  research  and  care  in  preparation,  and  was  a  very 
interesting  and  complete  sketch  of  Sullivan's  Expedi- 
tion ;  while  the  poem  of  Rev.  Dwight  Williams  was  one 
of  that  eminent  gentleman's  finest  efforts. 

^v  TV  ^r  ^t 

Each  town  in  the  County  had  a  large  wall  tent  erected 
on  the  Fair  Ground,  which  was  free  for  the  use  of  the 
people  of  the  several  towns.  The  members  of  the  press 
also  had  a  tent  for  their  own  use,  where  the  "press  men" 
reported,  and  were  suitably  cared  for  by  Mr.  Joyes, 
chairman  of  the  press  committee. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  279 

At  about  5  o'clock,  p.  M.,  the  Sullivan  Monument, 
recently  erected  in  the  Park  near  the  Court  House,  was 
dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  HON.  A.  L. 
CHILDS,  editor  of  the  News,  delivered  the  principal  ad- 
dress on  the  occasion,  which  was  one  of  that  gentleman's 
happiest  and  most  eloquent  efforts.  The  Monument  is 
built  of  native  limestone,  and  is  about  twenty  feet  high. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  grand  display  of  fireworks, 
which  was  witnessed  by  a  large  assembly  of  people. 

The  Celebration  was  a  success  throughout,  and  its 
management  reflected  great  credit  upon  those  having  the 
matter  in  charge.  The  occasion  was  a  "red-letter  day" 
for  Waterloo,  and  one  which  will  long  be  remembered 
with  pleasure  by  all  who  participated  i  herein. 


[FROM  THE  DAILY  EVENING  AUBURNIAN.] 

The  Celebration,  commemorating  General  Sullivan's 
destruction  of  the  Indian  village  of  Skoi-yase  one  hun- 
dred years  ago,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Waterloo  Libra- 
ry and  Historical  Society  at  Waterloo,  was  one  of  the 
most  extensive  affairs  of  the  kind  ever  held  in  Central  or 
Western  New  York.  The  citizens  of  Waterloo  lent  the 
society  cheerful  aid,  and  their  combined  efforts  resulted 
in  bringing  together  the  largest  crowd  that  ever  assembled 
within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  little  town. 

The  Auburn  ian' s  dispatch,  yesterday  (September  3d,) 
closed  at  the  hour  when  the  pageant  began  to  move.  The 
procession  was  one  of  the  special  features  of  the  occasion, 
and  more  than  met  the  expectations  of  the  multitude. 
The  49th  Regiment  was  the  especial  object  of  admiration 
for  the  natives,  and  elicited  unbounded  praise  for  their 
fine  appearance  and  soldierly  bearing. 

AT   THE    GROUNDS. 

The  procession  arrived  at  the  grounds   shortly  before 


280  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

one  o'clock.  The  49th  Regiment  passed  in  review  before 
the  grand  stand,  then  came  to  a  halt,  stacked  arms  and 
dispersed  for  rations  which  were  served  in  long  tents 
provided  for  the  purpose.  The  food  furnished  the  men 
was  hot  coffee,  sandwiches,  bread,  etc.  The  boys  did 
ample  justice  to  the  repast.  After  all  the  brass  bands 
arrived  they  were  assigned  positions  in  a  large  stand  ad- 
joining the  grand  stand.  Judge  J.  T.  Miller,  of  Seneca 
Falls,  President  of  the  Day,  called  the  assemblage  to 
order,  and  the  services  began  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Gridley. 

•K-  *  #  * 

Scarcely  had  the  word,  Amen,  escaped  the  lips  of  Dr, 
Gridley,  when  a  violent  rain  storm  set  in  and  continued 
for  nearly  two  hours,  and  seriously  interfered  with  the 
exercises.  Notwithstanding  that  water  fell  in  sheets, 
nearly  one-half  of  the  crowd,  which  had  now  increased  to 
fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  people,  remained  standing 
under  umbrellas  during  the  delivery  of  Governor  Dor- 
sheimer's  address.  Governor  Dorsheimer's  speech  occu- 
pied nearly  an  hour  in  its  delivery  and  was  listened  to 
with  rapt  attention.  Space  forbids  its  publication,  but  it 
is  safe  to  say  that  it  was  one  of  his  best  efforts.  He 
graphically  described  the  past  and  contrasted  it  with  the 
present ;  gave  a  history  of  the  canals  ;  spoke  eloquently 
of  the  press,  the  church,  the  industries  and  agriculture  of 
the  great  Empire  State  of  JN~ew  York,  and  wound  up  his 
remarks  with  a  prophecy  of  a  glorious  and  prosperous 
career  awaiting  her  during  the  next  century.  At  the 
conclusion  of  Governor  Dorsheimer's  address,  the  pro- 
gramme as  printed,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  was  car- 
ried out.  The  original  poem  by  Rev.  D wight  Williams, 
of  Trumansburg,  formerly  of  this  city,  comprising  twenty 
verses,  was  indeed  a  beautiful  composition,  and  was  well 
received  by  the  crowd.  On  the  stand  were  Lieutenant- 
Governor  Dorsheimer,  Judge  Josiah  T.  Miller,  President 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  281 

of  the  Day,  the  Poet,  Eev.  Dwight  Williams,  of  Tru- 
mansburg,  Rev.  David  Craft,  Historian,  John  Reamer, 
President  of  the  village,  Brigadier-General  Hawley  and 
Staff,  of  Syracuse,  Judge  B.  F.  HaU,  General  John  S. 
Clark,  Major  R.  R.  Gardner,  of  Auburn,  and  many 
others. 

THE  BANQUET. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises  at  the  grand  stand, 
the  multitude,  at  least  those  who  were  fortunate  enough 
to  possess  a  ticket,  were  admitted  to  a  large,  circular 
tent,  capable  of  holding  a  thousand  or  more  people,  and 
sat  down  to  a  cold  collation  of  ham  sandwiches,  chicken, 
pickles,  bread  and  hot  coffee.  After  the  wants  of  the 
inner  man  were  attended  to,  Judge  Miller,  President  of 
the  Day,  proposed  the  sentiments  and  toasts.  First  on 
the  programme  were  the  towns  in  Seneca  County.  The 
responses  were  made  by  a  person  from  each  town.  Con- 
sidering the  fact  that  the  speakers  were  mostly  from  the 
agricultural  districts,  the  speeches  were  astonishing,  some 
of  them  being  truly  eloquent.  The  toasts  were  answered 
by  B.  F.  Hall,  of  this  city,  William  H.  Bogart,  of  Aurora, 
D.  B.  Lum,  Rev.  Dr.  O' Sullivan  and  S.  R.  TenEyck, 
of  New  York.  The  remarks  of  Judge  Hall,  in  response 
to  the  toast  "Who  is  there  to  mourn  for  Logan?",  em- 
braced a  brief  history  of  the  Iroquois  nation  and  the 
genealogy  of  the  great  Indian  chief.  He  explained  in  a 
brief  and  terse  manner,  where  the  expression,  "  Who  is 
there  to  mourn  for  Logan  ?",  originated. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  exercises  in  the  tent,  Judge 
Miller  announced  that  the  observances  of  the  day  proper 
were  closed,  and  further  said  that  the  monument  would 
be  dedicated  in  the  afternoon,  and  that  there  would  be  a 
display  of  fireworks  in  the  evening. 

THE  DECORATIONS  ON  THE  GROUNDS. 

The  grand  stand  was  highly  decorated  with  flags  and 


282  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

evergreens.  On  the  front  was  a  large  banner  bearing  the 
words  contained  in  a  vote  of  thanks  passed  by  the  patri- 
otic compeers  of  1779,  commending  the  acts  of  General 
Washington  for  sending  General  Sullivan  to  conquer  the 
Six  Nations  ;  directly  under  this,  running  nearly  the 
entire  length  of  the  front  of  the  stand,  emblazoned  in 
black  letters  was  the  following :  "  1779,  From  Barbarism 
to  Civilization,  1879,"  the  pillars  supporting  the  roof 
were  wound  with  strips  of  red,  white  and  blue  bunting, 
on  the  cornice  the  flags  of  the  allied  nations,  with  the 
stars  and  stripes  floating  gracefully  in  the  center.  The 
speaker' s  stand  was  covered  with  a  canopy  of  red,  white 
and  blue.  On  the  front,  inscribed  in  gilt  letters,  on  a 
green  silk  shield,  was  the  word  "Skoi-yase,"  the  Indian 
name  for  Waterloo. 

THE  LOG   CABIN. 

South  of  the  grand  stand  and  near  the  race  track,  was 
erected  a  log  cabin.  The  exterior  was  ornamented  with 
agricultural  tools  of  primitive  design  and  used  by  our 
forefathers.  On  the  north  side  were  the  two  coon  pelts, 
suggestive  of  antique  days,  and  a  banner  bearing  the 
words  "Erected  from  the  ashes  of  the  wigwam."  Inside 
the  rude  but  comely  hut,  were  pioneers  and  their  sisters, 
and  their  cousins  and  their  aunts,  among  whom  was  a 
centenarian. 

A  bountiful  dinner  was  enjoyed  by  the  old  folks.  The 
meal  consisted  of  pork  and  beans,  doughnuts,  etc.,  and 
was  eaten  on  plates  said  to  be  over  a  hundred  years  old, 
A  pleasant  time  was  had  by  both  age  and  youth,  the  for- 
mer engaged  the  latter,  by  relating  old-time  incidents,  and 
the  dangers  experienced  by  the  early  settlers.  The  walls 
were  decorated  with  relics  belonging  to  the  Waterloo  Li- 
brary and  Historical  Society.  Colonel  H.  F.  Gustin  ac- 
ceptably filled  the  position  of  host,  and  entertained  the 
guests  of  the  rude  habitation  in  a  handsome  style. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  283 

THE  PEESS  TENT. 

Mr.  Joyes  of  the  Waterloo  Observer,  provided  for  the 
wants  of  the  press  gang  and  entertained  the  pencil  pro- 
pellers in  royal  style.  During  the  long  and  tedious  rain 
storm,  the  tent  was  crowded  with  military  men  and  all 
classes  of  the  profession,  from  the  modest  country  editor 
to  the  lightning  paragrapher  of  the  city  paper.  Refresh- 
ments and  cigars  were  served  with  unstinted  hand. 

DEDICATION   OF  THE    MONUMENT. 

The  exercises  in  connection  with  the  dedication  of  the 
monument,  were  held  on  a  platform  erected  in  front  of  the 
school  house,  just  southwest  of  the  village  park.  The  stand 
was  handsomely  ornamented  with  the  national  colors  and 
evergreens.  -Owing  to  the  inclemency  of  the  weather,  it 
had  been  decided  to  postpone  the  dedicatory  services, but 
the  skies  brightening,  the  decision  was  reversed,  and  the 
affair,  although  impromptu,  was  observed  in  accordance 
with  the  published  programme. 

The  exercises  were  opened  by  an  invocation  to  the 
Throne  of  Grace,  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gridley  of  Waterloo. 
In  the  absence  of  Hon.  Sterling  G.  Hadley,  President  of 
the  Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  Mr.  Walter 
Quinby  presided.  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs  delivered  the  ad- 
dress. Judge  Hall  of  this  city  followed,  in  a  few  brief 
remarks.  He  first  gave  a  condensed  history  of  monu- 
ments from  the  time  ufMmrod  down  to  the  present  gen- 
eration, and  next  referred  to  the  debt  of  gratitude,  the 
country  owed  to  Generals  Washington  and  Sullivan, 
which  the  speaker  thought  it  could  never  repay.  Judge 
Hall,  in  conclusion,  exhorted  the  citizens  of  Waterloo 
and  Seneca  County  to  cherish  the  monument  as  the  ap- 
ple of  their  eye,  also  to  embrace  it  with  affection  to  the 
end  of  their  fives.  He  was  loudly  cheered  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  his  speech.  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs  was  called  out  the 


284          SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

second  time  and  responded  with  a  peroration,  winding  up 
his  oration  with  Longfellow's  "Ship  of  State." 

The  monument  is  not  an  imposing  piece  of  architec- 
ture and  was  not  designed  to  be.  It  is  about  twenty  feet 
high  and  is  composed  of  eight  blocks  of  roughly  hewn 
blue  limestone,  two  feet  thick,  obtained  from  the  quarry 
in  the  village  of  Waterloo.  It  rests  on  a  solid  founda- 
tion of  the  same  material,  comprising  two  large  stones, 
about  four  feet  square.  On  the  south  side  was  a  tablet 
bearing  the  inscription  in  the  Indian  dialect,  "He-O-Weh- 
Gno-Gek,"  signifying,  "Once  a  home,  now  a  memory.' 
Over  the  apex  was  suspended  the  stars  and  stripes. 

THE   FIEEWOKKS   AND  ILLUMINATIONS. 

The  pyrotechnic  display  was  held  at  the  junction 
of  Locust  and  Main  streets,  and  consisted  of  nights 
of  rockets  and  six  large  pieces.  Nearly  every  house 
on  the  main  thoroughfares  was  brilliantly  illuminated. 
Some  of  the  residences  were  resplendent  with  light. 
Exceeding  good  taste  was  manifested  in  the  arranging 
of  the  national  colors  in  some  of  the  store  windows. 
The  fireworks  gave  the  best  of  satisfaction  and  were 
witnessed  by  an  admiring  throng  of  people. 

THE  CROWD. 

When  the  Auburnian  dispatch  was  sent  yesterday,  ten 
thousand  people  was  the  estimate  made  of  the  number 
present  ;  but  when  the  assemblage  was  looked  over  at 
the  Fair  Ground,  it  is  safe  to  place  the  figures  at  fifteen 
thousand. 


NOTES. 

The  "Centennial  Ode,'*  by  a  chorus  of  three  hundred 
voices,  was  necessarily  omitted. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  285 

Tuesday  evening,  Major  Mercer  entertained  General 
Hawley  and  his  staff. 


Gould  &  Co.,  and  Rumsey  &  Co., of  Seneca  Falls,  made 
a  line  exhibit  of  their  manufactures,  in  the  procession. 

Hospitable  and  comfortable  quarters  were  provided  for 
the  representatives  of  the  press,  at  theTowsley  House,  by 
the  reception  committee. 


Colonel  Storke'  s  dark  brown  charger  was  much  admired. 
It  was  a  mettlesome  steed  and  seemed  to  be  inspired  with 
the  patriotism  of  the  occasion. 


Aside  from  the  49th  Regiment,  two  noticeable  features 
of  the  procession  were  tableaux  cars,containing  represen- 
tations of  Pomona,  Ceres  and  Flora. 


The  soil  at  the  Fair  Ground  was  rendered  adhesive  by 
the  copious  rain,  and  the  French  kid  gaiters  and  white 
skirts  of  the  country  lasses  were  as  badly  soiled  as  the 
brogans  of  the  sterner  sex. 


Great  disappointment  was  manifested  at  the  absence  of 
the  49th  Regimental  band,  which  was  excused  by  Colo- 
nel Storke,  to  fulfil  a  previous  engagement,  made  with 
Mayor  Osborne.  Its  place  was  acceptably  filled  by  the 
Moravia  Light  Infantry  band. 


Colonel  Chamberlain,  chief  of  staff  to  Major-Genoral 
Daniel  P.  Wood,  commander  of  the  sixth  militia  divi- 
sion, acted  in  the  same  capacity  to  General  HawJey  yes- 
terday. The  Colonel  is  a  humorous  and  genial  fellow, 
and  his  sallies  of  wit  kept  the  headquarters  at  the  Tows- 
ley  House  in  a  continual  uproar  of  laughter. 

There  were  nine  bands  in  f  he  procession.     The  Moravia 


286  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Light  Infantry,  the  Seneca  Falls  Cornet,  Seneca  Falls 
G.  A.  K-.,  Geneva  Cornet,  Canoga  Cornet,  Phelps  Cornet, 
Waterloo  Cornet,  Junius  and  South  Waterloo  Martial 
Bands. 


The  trains  on  the  New  York  Central, like  a  large  share  of 
the  celebrationists,  were  considerably  mixed  yesterday. 
None  of  them  were  on  time.  The  train  leaving  this  city 
at  4:10  P.  M.,  did  not  reach  Waterloo  until  nearly  6:30. 
The  delay  was  caused  by  a  car  of  a  freight  train,  ahead 
of  the  express,  leaving  the  track  about  one  mile  east  of 
Waterloo. 

[FROM  THE  SYRACUSE  DAILY  STANDARD.] 

The  Centennial  Celebration  of  General  Sullivan's  cam- 
paign against  the  Six  Nations,  which  has  been  agitating 
neighboring  localities  for  weeks  past,  culminated,  yester- 
day, in  a  big  "blow  out"  at  Waterloo,  Seneca  County, 
which  engaged  the  attention  and  attendance  of  about 
every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the  County.  Indeed  we 
doubt  if  Seneca  County  can  boast  of  as  many  inhabitants 
as  flocked  to  Waterloo  and  covered  the  Fair  Grounds 
yesterday.  All  neighboring  counties  were  represented. 
Of  the  magnificent  procession,  quite  three  miles  long ;  of 
the  eloquence  of  LIEUT. -GOVERNOR  DQRSHEIMER,  the- 
Orator  of  the  Day,  HON.  J.  T.  MILLER,  REV.  DAVID 
CRAFT  and  the  other  speakers  of  the  occasion  ;  of  the  in- 
spiring music  of  the  bands  ;  of  the  volume  of  cannon 
thunder  ;  of  the  magnificence  of  the  pyrotechnic  display, 
and  the  beauty  and  elegance  of  the  grand  ball,  we  cannot 
find  words  to  write.  They  are  quite  too  much  for  us. 
But  of  the  open-hearted  hospitality  of  the  good  people  of 
Waterloo,  of  their  success  in  arranging  and  carrying  out 
the  immense  scheme  which  made  the  celebration  of  yes- 
terday a  memorable  one,  and  of  the  general  satisfaction 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  287 

and  evident  pleasure  experienced  by  everybody  present, 
we  must  indulge  a  few  words. 

To  that  mammoth  celebration,  Syracuse  contributed 
no  inconsiderable  portion.  Invitations  were  sent  to,  and 
accepted  by,  Brigadier  General  Hawley  and  Staff,  Captain 
Birchmeyer  and  Battery  and  Major  Auer  and  Troop^ 
representatives  of  whom  Syracuse  need  not  to  be  ashamed! 
Brigadier-General  Hawley  was  accompanied  by  the  fol- 
lowing members  of  his  Staff :  Lieutenant-Colonel  Hinman, 
Major  Gardner,  Major  Butler,  Major  Farrar,  Captain 
Edwards,  Captain  Belden,  Captain  Townsend  and  Lieu- 
tenant Denison.  These  gentlemen  left  Syracuse  on  the 
8:15  train  Tuesday  evening,  and  arrived  in  Waterloo  at 
10:30.  They  were  met  at  the  depot  by  the  reception 
committee,  and  escorted  by  the  Waterloo  band  to  the 
residence  of  Mr.  M.  D.  Mercer,  President  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  Waterloo,  by  whom  they  were  most 
cordially  welcomed  and  hospitably  entertained.  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  Dorsheimer,  the  Orator  of  the  Day,  was 
Mr.  Mercer' s  guest.  This  introduction  to  the  hospitalities 
of  the  Waterloo  people  was  most  auspicious.  The 
Waterloo  band  discoursed  some  fine  music  in  front,  and 
the  crowd,  not  satisfied  with  that,  demanded  a  speech 
from  Lieutenant-Governor  Dorsheimer,  General  Hawley, 
Major  Farrar  and  others. 

At  the  Towsley  House,  the  General  and  Staff  were 
assigned  comfortable  quarters— another  provident  ar- 
rangement of  the  reception  committee. 

The  procesion  was  a  magnificent  one.  It  must  have 
been  at  least  three  miles  long  and  occupied  at  least  an 
hour  in  passing  a  given  point.  General  Hawley  and 
Staff  were  assigned  to  the  right  of  the  first  division.  The 
committee  had  generously  provided  horses  for  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Staff  which  were  delivered  at  the  hotel  door 
in  time,  and  a  couple  of  generous-hearted  ladies  provided 


288  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

beautiful  button-hole  bouquets  for  them.  If  memory 
serves  us  correctly,  the  said  generous-hearted  ladies  were 
Mrs.  J.  B.  Crocker  and  Mrs.  E.  W.  Havens. 

And  at  the  grounds,  too,  everything  that  could  be  done 
was  done  by  the  committee  to  make  the  visit  of  their 
guests  pleasant.  A  bountiful  collation  was  provided  in  a 
spacious  tent,  and  the  service  of  Waterloo's  pretty  girls 
served  to  add  relish  to  the  viands.  All  would  have  gone 
off  grandly  but  for  the  unwarrantable  and  inexcusable 
interference  of  Jupiter  Pluvius,  who  dispensed  copious 
showers  just  at  the  wrong  time — just  after  the  crowd  had 
assembled  and  the  exercises  begun.  But  even  this  did 
not  dampen  the  ardor  of  the  committees  in  their  atten- 
tions to  their  guests.  They  could  not  do  too  much  for 
them.  To  General  George  Murray  Guion,  Chief  Marshal, 
are  the  General  and  Staff  particularly  indebted.  He  was 
the  most  ubiquitous  fellow  we  ever  saw.  And  the  cour- 
tesies of  the  occasion  were  extended  far  into  the  night,  at 
the  grand  ball.  This  was  a  wonderfully  pleasant  affair, 
and,  of  course,  our  Syracuse  representatives  participated. 
It  was  an  event  by  them  long  to  be  remembered. 

Captain  Birchmeyer  and  his  Battery,  and  Captain  Auer 
and  his  Troop,  made  a  remarkably  fine  appearance,  and 
elicited  many  a  favorable  comment. 

[FROM  THE  ROCHESTER  DEMOCRAT  AND  CHRONICLE,  SEP- 
TEMBER 4THa  1879. 

The  patriotism  of  Waterloo  found  vent  yesterday, and 
the  day  was  one  long  to  be  remembered  by  the  happy 
townspeople.  Waterloo  acknowledged  Elmira's  superi- 
ority only  in  point  of  population,  and  every  preparation 
was  made  by  those  having  the  matter  in  charge,  to  equal, 
and  possibly  eclipse,  the  first  public  celebration  of  the 
one  hundredth  anniversary  of  General  Sullivan's  Cam- 
paign against  the  Six  Nations. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  289 

The  demonstration  was  under  the  auspices  of  the  Wa- 
terloo Library  and  Historical  Society,  and  more  properly 
represented  Seneca  County's  tribute  to  the  past,  than  that 
of  any  particular  locality,  though,  of  course,  Waterloo 
rightfully  claims  the  chief  honor.  That  it  was  a  success,  so 
far  as  the  efforts  of  man  could  make  it  a  success,  can  be 
said  unreservedly;  that  the  elements  conspired  to  throw 
cold  water  upon  the  day's  events,  was  a  lamentable  fact, 
to  which  innumerable  dripping  coats  and  draggled  dres- 
ses bore  melancholy  testimony.  The  sun  did  not  even 
answer  to  roll  call  in  the  morning,  but  the  hour  when  he 
was  supposed  to  rise  was  ushered  in  by  the  ringing  of 
bells  and  the  firing  of  cannon,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
people  commenced  the  ornamentation  of  their  private 
residences  and  public  buildings.  All  the  available  bunt- 
ing and  flags  in  the  village  were  brought  into  requisition, 
and  at  seven  o'clock  the  place  had  undergone  a  complete 
transformation.  The  decorations  were  certainly  very, 
handsome,and  it  was  doubly  unfortunate  that  they  should 
be  subjected  to  so  trying  an  ordeal,  later  in  the  day. 
The  arrival  of  the  first  train  swelled  the  population  visibly, 
and  until  noon  the  people  continued  to  come  from  every 
direction  and  in  every  possible  manner.  Excursion  trains 
brought  immense  crowds  from  the  east  and  west,  and 
from  over  the  hills  far  away,  the  farmers,  their  sons  and 
daughters  came  afoot,  on  horseback,  on  buckboards  and 
in  the  more  modern  conveyances.  Such  a  general  turn- 
ing out  has  not  been  seen  in  many  a  day,  and  the  time 
is  probably  far  distant  that  will  see  its  repetition. 

At  10:30  o'clock  the  procession  was  formed,  consisting 
of  military  and  civic  organizations,  committees,  etc.,  and 
bands  of  music  from  neighboring  towns,  and  as  it  started 
away  for  the  Fair  grounds,  it  must  have  been  fully  two 
miles  in  length.  Old  veterans  of  the  rebellion  and  new 
recruits  of  the  militia'were  in  line  ;  with  banners  flying 
and  with  the  lively  music  of  the  bands,  the  scene  was  as 


290  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

inspiring  as  can  well  be  imagined.  Two  noticeable  fea- 
tures of  the  parade,  were  cars  containing  representations 
of  Ceres,  Pomona  and  Flora,  and  of  -the  Goddess  of 
Liberty.  Both  were  designed  artistically,  and,  of  course, 
fair  maidens  in  prominent  positions  gave  the  scene  the 
usual  charm.  A  large  number  of  young  men  from  the 
rural  districts,  clad  in  home-made  uniforms,  were  in  the 
line  on  horseback,  and  during  the  day  they  excited  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  the  multitude  by  their  feats  of 
horsemanship.  When  the  procession  arrived  at  the  Fair 
ground  where  the  exercises  were  to  be  held,  an  immense 
crowd  had  already  assembled,  and  when  the  speaking 
commenced  there  must  have  been  fully  ten  thousand 
people  in  attendance.  The  grand  scand  was  handsomely 
ornamented  with  flags  and  bunting,  and  in  front  was  a 
large  banner  bearing  the  words  of  a  resolution  adopted  by 
the  continental  congress  of  1779,  commending  General 
Washington  and  General  Sullivan  upon  the  success  of 
the  campaign.  Tents  for  the  accommodation  of  the  sol- 
diers were  scattered  over  the  ground,  and  with  the  booths, 
side  shows,  flashing  arms  and  excitement  of  the  crowd, 
it  bore  a  strong  resemblance,  as  one  of  the  old  settlers 
expressed  it,  "of  gineral  trainin'  day."  The  clouds, 
which  had  been  growing  blacker  and  blacker,  sent  down 
a  few  warning  drops  of  rain,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  slight 
drizzle,  the  literary  exercises  of  the  day  were  opened 
with  prayer  by  REV.  DR.  S.  H.  GRIDLEY,  of  Waterloo. 

JOHN  REAMER,  the  President  of  the  Village,  then  made 
the  address  of  welcome,  extending  the  hospitalities  of 
the  place,  and  he  was  followed  by  HON.  J.  T.  MILLER  of 
Seneca  Falls,  President  of  the  Day,  who  delivered  the 
introductory  address.  It  was  a  short,  graceful  effort,  a 
fitting  prelude  to  the  oration  which  was  given  by  HON. 
WILLIAM  DORSHEIMER,  Lieutenant- Governor  of  the  State 
of  IX  ew  York.  Mr.  Dorsheimer's  address  was  plain  and 
practical,  giving  a  brief  resume  of  the  historical  event,  in 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  291 

honor  of  which  the  people  had  assembled,  and  its  impor- 
tance in  shaping  the  future  affairs  of  the  country.  Before 
Mr.  Borsheimer  was  half  done,  the  rain  had  commenced  to 
fall  in  torrents,  but  the  crowd  around  the  speakers'  stand 
remained  steadfast,  evidently  determined  to  hear  or  drown 
in  the  attempt.  Umbrellas  were  hoisted  and  with  the 
rain  which  they  kept  off  from  the  bodies  of  the  few,  run- 
ning down  the  backs  of  the  many,  the  cold-water  disciples 
stood  firm.  There  was  a  decided  exodus  on  the  outskirts, 
however,  many  returning  to  the  village  and  others  seek- 
ing the  shelter  of  the  tents. 

Owing  to  the  condition  of  the  weather,  the  "centennial 
ode  for  three  hundred  voices,  accompanied  by  music 
from  the  consolidated  bands  present,"  was  omitted,  and 
REV.  DAVID  CRAFT,  of  Pennsylvania,  read  a  historical 
address.  By  this  time  the  sun  had  obtained  a  temporary 
victory  over  the  deluge,  and  under  the  influence  of  its 
cheering  rays,  the  people  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
poem  by  REV.  DWI&HT  WILLIAMS,  of  Trumansburg, 
N.  Y.  The  benediction,  pronounced  by  the  REV.  P.  E. 
SMITH,  of  Tyre,  concluded  the  exercises  at  the  stand  and 
then  the  privileged  possessors  of  the  required  credentials, 
adjourned  to  the  large  tent,  where  the  ladies  had  spread 
an  elegant  collation. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  after  dinner  speeches,  the  pro- 
cession was  re-formed  and  marched  to  the  Academy  park, 
where  the  ceremony  was  performed  of  placing  the  capstone 
upon  the  new  Monument  which  has  recently  been  erected, 
commemorative  of  the  destruction,  September,  8th,  1779, 
by  Colonel  Harper,  under  orders  of  General  Sullivan,  of 
the  Indian  village  of  Skoi-yase.  The  ceremony  was  pre- 
sided over  by  Mr.  Walter  Quinby,  vice-president  of  the 
Waterloo  Library  and  Historical  Society,  and  consisted 
of  speeches  by  Hon.  A.  L.  Childs  of  Waterloo  and  Judge 
Benjamin  F.  Hall  of  Auburn.  Fortunately  the  rain  did 

19. 


292  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

not  interfere  with  this  ceremony,  and  it  was  performed  in 
the  presence  of  a  large  crowd  of  spectators. 


EAIN    DROPS. 

Waterloo  ought  to  be  satisfied.     It  boomed  the  Elmira 
boom  out  of  sight. 

The  girls  with  their  shoes,  and  the  boys  with  low  boots, 
had  a  hard  time  of  it  yesterday. 


More  white  dresses  and  blue  ribbons  were  ruined  yes- 
terday than  one  bushel  of  wheat  will  pay  for. 


As  usual,  the  rain  displayed  no  discrimination  in  fall- 
ing upon  the  just  and  unjust,  but  wet  them  all  down 
alike. 


Major  M.  D.  Mercer  of  Waterloo,  gave  a  reception  to 
General  Hawley  and  staff  and  Lieutenant-Govern  or  Dor- 
sheimer,  Tuesday  evening. 


The  Waterloo  Observer  displayed  its  enterprise  yester- 
day, by  publishing  a  full  account  of  the  Sullivan  Cam- 
paign, accompanied  by  map,  etc. 


General  Hawley  and  staff,  and  Colonel  Chamberlin  of 
the  sixth  division  staff,  acting  as  chief  of  staff,  had  the 
right  of  the  procession  yesterday. 


Eochester  had  a  small  representation  at  the  celebration. 
General  Martindale  was  expected  to  reply  to  the  toast,— 
"The  Ladies,''  but  he  did  not  appear. 


The  ball  last  evening  was  one  of  the  most  elegant  par- 
ties ever  given  in  Waterloo.     The  Malt  house  was  very 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  293 

handsomely  decorated  by  the  ladies,  and  the  first  people 
in  the  place  had  the  entertainment  in  charge. 

One  of  the  features  upon  the  grounds  was  a  genuine 
log  cabin,  of  the  style  of  architecture  in  vogue,  "In  the- 
days  when  our  grandfathers  lived  in  theland,and  Indian 
papooses  dug  holes  in  the  sand."  It  was  furnished, inside 
and  out,  with  old-fashioned  utensils,  and  attracted  many 
curious  sight-seers. 

A  fine  display  of  fireworks  in  the  evening  and  a  grand 
reception  and  ball  at  the  Malt  house  concluded  the  fes- 
tivities of  the  day, and  certainly  Waterloo  in  general, and 
the  Library  and  Historical  Association  in  particular, have 
every  reason  to  felicitate  themselves  upon  the  success  of 
their  eiforts.  Had  the  weather  been  pleasant,  it  would 
have  been  an  unqualified  success,  and  even  the  rain  only 
destroyed, in  part,  the  pleasures  of  the  day.  The  citizens 
worked  hard  to  have  a  grand  celebration,  and  they  de- 
serve any  amount  of  credit  for  their  pains. 

FROM  THE  SYRACUSE  EVENING  HERALD. 

The  Sullivan  Celebration  was  begun  early  yesterday  by 
the  ringing  of  church  bells  and  firing  of  cannon.  Great 
preparations  had  been  made  and  never  were  houses  and 
stores  more  handsomely  decorated  with  evergreens, 
flowers,  and  the  red,  white  and  blue.  The  morning  trains 
were  late  in  bringing  the  vast  number  of  passengers  which 
helped  to  swell  the  crowd.  The  great  procession  which 
moved  about  noon  was  over  a  mile  in  length,  and  was 
composed  of  citizens  of  Seneca  County  on  horseback,  on 
foot  and  in  carriages.  The  bands,  over  a  half-dozen  in 
number,  played  their  sweetest  music,  and  we  would 
notice  the  wagon  got  up  by  the  Grangers,  and  also  that 
from  the  town  of  Fay ette,  which,  with  the  49th  Regiment, 
was  the  best  part  of  the  procession. 


294          SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

On  arriving  at  the  Fair  Grounds  the  programme  was 
commenced,  and  here  we  noticed  that  the  work  of  deco- 
ration had  been  carried  to  a  high  degree.  The  speaking 
had  commenced,  when  the  rain,  which  had  held  off  during 
Hon.  J.  T.  Miller's  speech,  commenced  soOn  after  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor  Dorsheimer  took  the  stand  and  slowly 
increased  in  violence.  Harder  and  faster  came  the  drops 
until  the  shower  nearly  broke  up  the  exercises  and  people 
were  driven  to  the  tents  for  shelter.  The  dust  of  the  track 
and  grounds  was  converted  into  sickly  mud  and  soon  a 
spectacle  of  plastered  boots  and  bedraggled  skirts  pre- 
sented itself.  After  raining  nearly  an  hour,  it  held  up, 
but  the  beauty  of  the  programme  at  the  grounds  was  sadly 
marred. 

Owing  to  the  condition  of  the  weather,  the  "Centennial 
Ode  for  three  hundred  voices,  accompanied  by  music 
from  the  consolidated  bands  present,"  was  omitted,  and 
Rev.  David  Craft  of  Pennsylvania  read  an  historical  ad- 
dress. By  this  time  the  sun  had  obtained  a  temporary 
victory  over  the  deluge,  and,  under  the  influence  of  its 
cheering  rays,  the  people  thoroughly  appreciated  the 
Poem  by  Rev.  D wight  Williams  of  Trumansburg,  New 
York. 

The  Benediction  was  pronounced  by  the  Rev.  P.  E. 
Smith  of  Tyre,and  concluded  the  exercises  at  the  stand, 
when  those  who  were  invited  adjourned  to  the  large 
tent,  where  the  ladies  had  spread  an  elegant  collation. 

#  *  *  * 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  after-dinner  speeches,  the  pro- 
cession marched  to  Academy  Park,  where  the  ceremony 
was  performed  of  placing  the  capstone  upon  the  new 
monument  which  has  recently  been  erected,  commemora 
tive  of  the  destruction,  in  September,  1779,  by  Colonel 
Harper,  under  orders  of  General  Sullivan,  of  the  Indian 
village  of  Skoi-yase. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  295 

A  grand  display  of  fireworks  in  the  evening  and  a  grand 
reception  and  ball  at  the  Malt  house  concluded  the  fes- 
tivities of  the  day. 


[FROM  THE  CLIFTON  SPRINGS  PRESS.] 

The  beautiful  little  county  of  Seneca  celebrated  the 
one  hundreth  anniversary  of  General  Sullivan's  march 
through  that  connty,  at  Waterloo,  yesterday.  As  the 
former  event  was  the  most  important  one,  so  yesterday 
was  the  grandest  of  all  the  doings  or  festivities  that  have 
ever  taken  place  within  her  borders.  Waterloo,  which  is 
noted  for  its  liberality  and  enterprise,  was  equal  to  the 
occasion,  and  entertained  the  immense  throng  as  if  it 
were  one  vast  family  of  kindred,  gathered  home  after  a 
separation  of  a  hundred  years.  It  is  not  an  overestimate 
to  say  that  there  were  fifteen  thousand  people  present 
from  the  rural  districts  to  witness  the  grand  demonstra- 
tion. The  citizens  of  Waterloo,  especially  the  Library  and 
Historical  Society, and  the  members  of  the  press  committee, 
can  congratulate  themselves  upon  the  fact  of  having  inaug- 
rated  the  celebration,  and  so  grandly  succeeded  in  com- 
memorating the  important  victory  which  General  John 
Sullivan  achieved  in  1779. 


[FROM  THE  CA.NANDAIGUA  JOURNAL.] 
The  Waterloo  Sullivan  Centennial  threw  Elmira's  dem- 
onstration far  into  the  shade.  The  number  of  people  in 
attendance  is  variously  estimated  at  from  ten  thousand 
to  twenty  thousand.  The  procession  was  about  two  miles 
long  and  very  imposing,  a  leading  feature  being  a  large 
number  of  beautiful  young  ladies  representing  the  God- 
dess of  Liberty,  different  States  of  the  Union,  etc.  The 
rain  interfered  somewhat  with  the  literary  exercises,  but 
taken  all  together,  the  affair  may  justly  be  termed  a 
grand  success. 


296  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 


[FROM  THE  HORNELSVILLE  TIMES.] 

The  Waterloo  Centennial  Celebration  was  a  grand  suc- 
cess, although  the  rain  interfered  with  the  programme 
somewhat.  It  totally  eclipsed  Elmira,  except,  possibly, 
in  point  of  numbers.  The  parade  was  emphatically  the 
finest  ever  put  in  line  in  this  State,  outside  of  New  York 
City.  Everything  moved  like  clock-work. 


[FROM  THE  AUBURN  NEWS.] 

The  Celebration  was  a  success,  and  the  people  of   Wa- 
terloo are  to  be  congratulated  thereon. 


(APPENDIX,  No.  1.) 


A  PAPER  BEAD  BEFORE  THE 

WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 


NOVEMBER     27th,    1877  , 


-BT- 


S.   ]R.  WELLES,  M.   D.? 

WATERLOO,    N".    T. 


To  an  American,  comparing  his  country  with  the  nations 
of  the  old  world,  his  native  land  had  for  him  hitherto  but 
a  present  and  a.  future.  Coming  into  existence  as  a  de- 
velopment of  a  new  growth  emanating  from  many  ancient 
forms  of  government,  and  representing  all  phases  of  old 
world  life  and  thought  ;  an  union  of  elements  diverse  and 
heterogeneous,  but  by  the  wonderful  chemistry  of  a  nat- 
ural law  of  national  assimilation,  so  fused  and  blended 
as  to  produce  a  homogeneous  and  harmonious  whole,  his 
country  seemed  an  evolution,  from  confusion  and  discord, 
of  a  new  and  higher  national  state  of  being.  Thus  formed, 
the  young  America  was  left  to  make  for  herself  a  name 
and  record  among  the  nations  of  the  world. 

To  the  American,  in  the  vista  of  the  past,  was  revealed 
no  long  line  of  barbaric  monarchs,  or  feudal  sovereigns,  to 
stimulate  his  loyalty  or  nourish  his  national  pride,  no 
splendid  cathedrals,  whose  massive  walls  and  sculptured 
images  told  in  eloquent  silence  of  the  perpetuity  of  a 
national  faith,  noturreted  castles  fostering  ancestral  pride, 


300  SENECA   COUT5TTY   CENTENNIAL 

no  galleries  of  art  where,  looking  upon  the  inspired  can- 
vas, he  could  claim  kinship  with  the  great  master  of  cen- 
turies long  past.  To  him,  except  as  claiming  a  common 
humanity,  the  bard,  the  painter  and  the  sculptor  of  past 
ages,  were  alien ;  he  had  but  an  ownership,  in  common 
with  all  the  world,*in  the  Shakespeares,  the  Dantes  and 
the  Goethe,  the  Raphaels,  and  the  Angelos  of  the  dis- 
tant past.  I  have  said  hitherto,  but  now  at  the  expiration 
of  a  hundred  years,  a  hundred  years  which  have  rolled 
around  so  quietly  that  their  lapse  has  been  scarcely  noted, 
it  suddenly  beams  upon  the  nation's  consciousness,  that, 
working  bravely  in  the  present,  untrammelled  by  preju- 
dices and  usages  of  the  past,  and  unshackled  by  theories, 
she  has  made  for  herself  a  history  and  a  name  ;  and  her 
hundred  years'  apprenticeship  ended,  she  invites  the  na- 
tions of  the  old  world, — the  journeymen  and  master- work- 
men,— to  inspect  the  work  of  her  'prentice  hand.  With 
pardonable  pride  she  points  to  her  industries  and  inven- 
tions, and  receives  their  congratulation  and  welcome  to 
full  communion  and  fellowship  in  the  sisterhood  of  na- 
tions, and  now,  assured  of  her  position,  coutident  of  the 
present,  hopeful  of  the  future,  she  can  look  back  through 
:all  the  struggles  of  her  birth,  growth  and  progress,  and 
behold  a  glorious  past. 

During  the  last  few  years,  with  one  accord,  and  as  if 
-by  common  impulse,  in  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  the 
years,  individuals  and  communities  have  halted  in  their 
eager  race  for  wealth,  have  taken  a  breathing  space  in 
their  pursuit  of  pleasure,  and  looked  back  over  the  path 
they  have  traversed,  have  scanned  the  landmarks,  estimat- 
ed the  distances  and  wisely  gathered  up  the  experiences 
of  the  past.  It  was  in  this  spirit  of  retrospection  that 
this  organization  was  effected,  moved  by  it,  we  are  here 
to-night.  Our  local  history  is  brief.  The  short  span  of 
a,  man's  life  covers  it.  There  are  those  yet  among  us  who 
with  their  own  eyes  have  seen  all  of  Waterloo  from  its 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  301 

birth,  have  grown  with  its  growth,  have  read  its  history 
from  living  pages,  as  it  was  made,  known  all  the  actors, 
viewed  all  the  shifting  scenes  as  unrolled,  and  closed  by 
time.  'Tis  a  short  story,  beginning  with  the  old  log  mill 
of  1794,  and  ending  with  us  here  to:night. 

It  is  our  part  to  see  that  all  the  leaves  of  the  past  are 
gathered  up,  it  is  for  those  who  come  after  us  to  guard 
the  future  that  no  page  be  lost  hereafter. 

Like  travelers  standing  on  the  sites  of  buried  cities, 
we  stand  upon  the  graves  of  a  lost  race,  a  great  people 
submerged  by  the  tide  of  an  alien  civilization.  Grant, 
that  this  was  their  inevitable  destiny — no  flattering  unc- 
tion will  destroy  the  consciousness  which  links  forever, 
with  the  red  man's  name,  the  cruel  wrong  he  suffered,  nor 
will  time  efface  the  memory  of  valorous  deeds  and  proud 
endurance  which  makes  classic  the  soil  the  Iroquois  once 
trod.  As  we  stand  where  once  he  stood  in  the  pride  of  abso- 
lute, unquestioned  sway,  and  whereof  now  naught  remains 
save  here  and  there  a  name  given  by  him  to  a  lake  or 
stream,  a  name,  the  only  heirloom  of  a  lordly  race,  im- 
agination invokes  the  spirit  of  the  past,  and  we  can  hear 
the  wail  of  the  last  of  the  Iroquois  as  he  looks  upon  the 
hunting-ground  lost  to  him  forever. 


(1)  "Thea-an-de-nea-gua,  of  the  martial  brow, 

(2)  Gy-ant  wa,  (3)  Ho  ne-ya-was,  where  are  they  ? 
(4)  Sago-ye-wat-ba,  he  is  silent  now; 

No  more  will  listening  throngs  nis  voice  obey. 
Like  visions  have  the  mighty  passed  a  way,, 
Their  tears  descend  in  rain  drops,  and  their  sighs 
Are  heard  in  wailing  winds,  when  evening  gray 
Shadows  the  landscape,  and  their  mournful  eyes 
Gleam  in  the  misty  light  of  moon-illumined  skies. 
Gone  are  my  tribes-men,  and  another  race 

(1)  Brant. 

(2)  Corn  Planter. 

(3)  Farmer's  Brother. 

(4)  Red  Jacket. 


302  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

Born  of  the  foam,  disclose  with  plough  and  spade 
Secrets  of  battle  field  and  burial  place. 
And  hunting  grounds,  once  dark  with  pleasant  shade, 
Bask  in  the  golden  light. 

— Hosmer. 

The  region  between  the  waters  of  Cayuga  and  Seneca 
was  thickly  dotted  with  the  towns  of  the  Iroquois.  The 
site  of  our  own  village,  with  its  rapids,  superb  tishiugand 
abundant  game,  its  fertile  soil  and  easy  access  to  the 
lakes  on  either  side,  was  particularly  attractive  to  the 
Cayugas, and,  clung  to  by  them  with  the  greatest  tenacity, 
was  the  last  of  their  hunting  grounds  surrendered  to  the 
white  man's  greed. 

Here,  on  historic  ground,  where  lived  and  passed 
away  successive  generations  of  a  vanished  race,  let  us 
invoke  the  spirit  of  the  past.  She  grants  to  our  retro- 
spective glance,  a  vision  of  peace,  a  nation  of  red  men, 
a  brave,  simple  people,  undisputed  owners  of  the  soil, 
worshipping  the  Great  Spirit  of  their  theology,  in  their 
own  way,  as  their  ancestors  had  done  for  how  long 
we  know  not,  having  the  vices,  it 'is  true,  but  also  the 
virtues  of  barbaric  life  ;  a  proud  confederacy,  linked  to- 
gether by  a  Totem-ic  tie,  rivaling  in  its  completeness 
and  efficiency,  any  union  of  States  of  ancient  or  modern 
times,  carrying  out  the  doctrine  of  State  rights  in  a' con- 
federation, guarding,  with  admirable  discretion,  against 
the  anarchy  born  of  popular  license  on  the  one  hand,  and 
the  danger  to  liberty,  engendered  by  arbitrary  despotism 
on  the  other,  a  free,  hardy,  independent  race,  meeting  by 
their  representatives. in  council  at  the  capital  of  their  na- 
tion, to  contract  alliances,  conclude  treaties,  declare  war 
and  do  all  other  things  which  a  free  and  independent  peo- 
ple may,  of  right,  do,  extending  the  limits  of  their  ter- 
ritory, literally  carrying  their  conquest  from  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  or  satiated  with  con- 
quest,busied  with  the  vocations  of  peace,  hunting,  fishing 
and  tilling  the  ground. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  303 

In  the  revolutionary  struggle, British  influence  prevailed 
to  attach  the  Six  Nations,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Oneidas,  to  the  royal  side,  and  instigated  and  controlled 
by  Johnson,  Butler,  and  Brant,  they  proved  a  dreaded 
foe  to  our  troops  and  a  fearful  scourge  to  our  frontier 
settlements.  So  great  was  the  devastation  made  by 
them  in  their  incursions,  and  so  much  and  justly  were 
they  feared,  that  in  1779  it  was  determined  to  send  a  force 
to  lay  waste  and  exterminate  their  settlements.  In  pursu- 
ance of  this  determination, General  Sullivan  left  Wyoming 

•J 

on  the  1st  of  July,  with  five  thousand  men  for  the  Indian 
country  which  was  reached  on  the  28th  of  August,  when 
the  settlement,  at  Chemung,  together  with  the  grain  and 
other  crops  was  destroyed.  The  day  following, the  battle 
of  Newtown  (now  Elmira)  took  place.  In  this  encounter 
six  hundred  Indians  and  two  hundred  tories  under  the 
Butlers  and  Brant  were  engaged.  The  contest  was  a  des- 
perate one,but  the  Indians  and  tories  were  vanquished  and 
compelled  to  flee,  and  Sullivan  encamped  for  the  night 
on  the  field  of  action. 

The  next  day  the  town  was  destroyed.  On  the  third  day 
of  September,  Catharine's  town  (whence  the  inhabitants 
had  made  a  precipitate  retreat  upon  the  news  of  the  defeat 
of  the  Indians  at  Newt  own)  was  demolished.  Pursuing 
its  march  on  the  east  side  of  Seneca  Lake  into  what  is 
now  Seneca  County,  the  army  arrived  at  Kendaia  on  the 
fifth,  having  in  the  meantime  destroyed  Peach  Orchard, 
and  numerous  scattered  houses  and  cornfields.  Kendaia 
is  described  in  the  journal  of  an  officer  attached  to  the 
expedition,  as  "a  fine  town  lying  about  one-half  mile  from 
the  lake,  abounding  in  apple  trees,  and  evidently  an  old 
inhabited  town,  the  houses  large  and  elegant,  some  beau- 
tifully painted,  the  tombs,  especially  of  the  chief  war- 
riors, are  beautifully  painted  boxes,  built  over  the  graves, 
of  planks  hewn  out  of  timber. ' '  On  the  seventh,  the  army 
passed  the  north  end  or  outlet  of  Seneca  lake ;  on  the 


304          SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

next  day  Colonel  Harper  was  sent  with  a  detachment  of 
men  to  destroy  the  settlement  at  Skoi-yase.  From  Kana- 
desaga  (Geneva)  the  army  moved  to  the  Genesee  country, 
its  track  marked  by  devastation,  destruction,  flames 
and  death.  The  Indians,  inferior  in  number,  surprised 
in  their  own  strongholds  which  they  thought  inaccessi- 
ble, dispirited  by  their  defeat  at  Xewtown,  demoralized 
by  the  rapid  movements  and  the  unrelenting,  vengeful 
blows  dealt  them,  could  not  rally,  and  the  victorious 
army,  having  followed  the  retreating  enemy  as  far  as 
Genesee,  retraced  its  steps,  completing  on  the  return, 
the  devastation  commenced,  but  not  fully  consumated, 
on  the  westward  march.  It  reached  Geneva  on  the 
20th  of  September,  from  which  place  Colonel  William 
Butler  was  sent  with  a  detachment  of  five  hundred  men 
to  destroy  the  settlements  on  the  east  side  of  Cayuga 
lake.  On  the  day  following,  Colonel  Dearborn  was 
detailed,  with  two  hundred  men  to  destroy  the  settle- 
ments on  the  western  banks,  having  accomplished  which, 
he  rejoined  the  main  army  near  Newtown,  on  the  26th. 

We  have  in  our  possession  a  copy  of  a  map— evidently 
made  by  an  engineer  belonging  to  Butler's  detachment, 
as  the  entire  route,  from  Geneva,  around  the  foot  of 
Cayuga  lake  and  up  on  its  eastern  side,  to  Ithaca,  thence 
to  Newtown,  is  accurately  laid  down — on  which,  the 
Skoi-yase  settlement  is  located  north  of  the  river.  But- 
ler's  detachment,  after  destroying  the  towns  on  the  east 
side  of  Cayuga  lake,  rejoined  the  main  army  at  Newtown 
on  the  28th  of  September.  Thus  ended  a  campaign,  in 
which,  in  a  little  over  a  month,  the  country  of  the  Onon- 
dagas,  the  Cayugas,  and  Senecas  was  completely  overrun 
and  laid  waste,  their  towns  burned,  their  orchards  de- 
stroyed, their  corn  fields  consumed,  their  cattle  captured 
or  killed;  all  this,  not  so  much  in  a  spirit  of  retaliation,  as  to 
cut  off  their  supplies,  deprive  them  of  their  retreats,  and 
cripple  their  operations.  "By  this  movement  of  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  305 

American  army,  the  social  and  political  condition  of  the 
Seneca  Nation  was  destroyed,  and  by  these  means,  though 
necessarily  severe,  the  influence  of  the  English  nation  was 
curbed  and  controlled,  and  the  murderous  warfare  of  the 
tomahawk  and  knife  wielded  alike  by  Indian  and  tory, 
was  arrested."  Though  an  inevitable  military  necessity 
it  was  a  cruel  blow,  and  well  might  Big-tree,  years  after, 
say  to  Washington  when  alluding  to  Sullivan,  "Father, 
when  your  army  entered  the  country  of  the  .Six  Nations 
we  called  you  the  Town  destroyer:  to  this  day,  when 
your  name  is  heard,  our  women  look  behind  them  and 
turn  pale,  and  our  children  cling  closer  to  the  neck  of 
their  mothers."  Driven  back  to  Niagara,  few  of  the  In- 
dians ever  returned  to  their  old  hunting  grounds  ;  neglect- 
ed and  badly  treated  by  their  English  allies,  and  insuffi- 
ciently provided  with  food,  sickness  and  death  made 
fearful  ravages  among  them  during  the  cold  winter  fol- 
lowing Sullivan' s  Campaign.  In  1789  a  treaty  was  con- 
cluded with  the  Six  Nations  whereby  the  Indians  ac- 
knowledged allegiance  to  the  general  government,  and 
ceded  to  the  State  of  New  York  the  lands  lying  east  of 
the  Seneca  lake.  This  important  event,  so  full  of  mo- 
ment and  of  omen  to  the  Red  man,  closes  the  second  scene 
in  the  panorama  of  the  past,  for,  with  the  conclusion  of 
this  treaty,  the  country  was  opened  to  the  immigration 
of  settlers  from  the  eastern  states,  and  new  characters 
appear  upon  the  stage.  Nor  was  this  attractive  region 
long  unoccupied.  The  remembrance  of  the  beautiful 
waters  of  Cayuga  and  Seneca,  the  rich  corn  fields  and 
abundant  fruits,  the  vigorous  soil,  and  the  magnificent 
forests  of  the  region  between  the  lakes,  did  not  fade  from 
the  minds  of  those  who  had  traversed  the  country  in  1779 
under  Sullivan,  and  when,  with  peace,  came  a  sense  of 
security,  settlers  from  the  east  were  emboldened  to  tempt 
the  trials  and  privations  of  frontier  life,  looking  to  the 
future  for  an  ample  reward. 

When  it  is  considered  how  important  in    its    effects 


306  SENECA  COUXTY  CENTENNIAL 

upon  the  revolutionary  struggle  was  the  campaign  agains+ 
the  Six  Nations,  and  that  this  county  was  the  scene  of 
some  of  the  most  stirring  events  connected  with  it.  the 
thought  is  suggested  that  upon  the  eighth  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1879,  being  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  de- 
struction of  the  Indian  settlement  here,  the  Fawsetts,the 
Halseys,  the  Van  Cleefs,  the  Dunlaps,  the  South  wicks, 
the  McKnights,  the  Bears,  the  Gorhams,  the  Bowdishes, 
and  others — the  descendants  of  those  hardy  pioneers,  who 
first  settled  in  this  county,  and  many  of  whom  partici- 
pated in  that  memorable  incursion — be  invited  to  meet 
here,  and  celebrate  with  the  Waterloo  Library  and  His- 
torical Society  the  centennial  of  that  campaign  which,  as 
its  result,  opened  up  to  <  he  emigrant  the  beauties  and 
agricultural  wealth  of  Seneca  County. 

In  1791,Elkanah  Watson,  General  Philip  VanCortlandt, 
Jeremiah  VanRensselaer  and  Stephen  N.  Bayard,  made 
an  extensive  tour  through  the  interior  of  New  York  in 
boats, by  the  way  of  Wood  Creek, Oneida  lake,  Onondaga 
and  Seneca  rivers,  to  Cayuga  lake,  which  they  reached 
September  19th.  We  learn  from  a  journal  kept  by  Wat- 
son, that,  after  spending  the  night  of  the  19th  at  the 
ferry -house,  on  the  morning  of  the  20th.  after  a  three 
miles  sail  to  the  north,  they  entered  the  narrow  river  con- 
necting the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  lakes.  They  stemmed 
against  a  rapid  current  till  they  reached  the  foot  of  the 
Seneca  falls,  where  they  found  Job  Smith,  the  keeper  of 
the  carrying-place,  living  in  a  comfortable  lose  house,  sur- 
rounded by  considerable  improvement.  The  transit  ex- 
tended for  a  mile.  Transporting  their  baggage  by  land, 
while  their  men  forced  the  empty  boats  up  the  rapids, 
Watson  and  his  party  walked- by  a  foot  path  two  miles 
;>ro  a  place  called  Scauyes,"  then  re  embarked  and  as- 
cended thf  river,  and  passed  through  the  outlet  to  Sen- 
eca lake,  at  a  spot  where  twelve  years  before  the  victori- 
ous army  of  Sullivan  forded  the  river.  "The  sun  was 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  307 

just  setting  behind  the  western  hills  as  they  entered  the 
lake,  which  opened  upon  them  like  a  new  creation, rising 
to  their  view  in  picturesque  and  romantic  beauty.'1  They 
found  Geneva  a  small,  unhealthy  village,  containing 
twelve  log  and  three  frame  houses.  There,  "much  troubled 
by  gamblers  and  fleas,"  they  spent  the  night,  and  the 
next  morning  re-embarked  and  traversed  the  lake  oblique- 
ly to  Appletown  where  they  remained  two  days. 

A  ppletown  is  described  as  being  a  fine  tract  of  land, 
formerly  the  head  quarters  of  the  Seneca  Nation,  con- 
taining extensive  orchards,  and  exhibiting  many  marks 
of  the  destruction  wrought  by  Sullivan's  conquering 
army.  While  there  they  attended  a  meeting  at  which 
one  hundred  and  fifty  people  were  present,  and  were 
justly  astonished  at  what  Watson  terms  a  "prelude  to 
the  assembling  of  thousands  destined  shortly  to  possess 
this  region."  On  the  23d, the  boat  proceeded  with  a  brisk 
gale  to  the  outlet,  while  Watson  took  a  horse  and  trav- 
elled by  an  Indian  path  obliquely  across  the  town  of 
Romulus,*  seventeen  miles  to  the  point  of  starting  on 
Cayuga  lake.  After  a  trip  up  the  lake,  during  which  they 
noticed  the  remains  of  an  old  Indian  castle  on  the  eastern 
bank,  and  the  town  of  Ovid,  of  which  they  speak  ad- 
miringly, rising  beautifully  from  the  shore,  with  the  tree 
tops  resembling  waving  fields  of  grain  in  the  distance, 
their  expedition  terminated,  and  they  turned  their  faces 
homeward.  The  impression  received  in  this  journey 
regarding  our  own  locality  is  indicated  by  an  extract 
from  the  journal :  "The  map  of  the  world  cannot  ex- 
hibit in  any  country  two  lakes  of  equal  magnitude  as  the 
Cayuga  and  Seneca  so  singularly  and  so  happily  situated. 


*In  1791,  Ovid  and  Romulus  embraced  the  present  area  of  Seneca  County.  In  1800, 
the  town  of  Washington  was  formed  from  Romulus;  in  1803,  Junius  was  taken  from 
Washington;  in  1817,  Covert  was  formed  from  Ovid,  and  in  1826,Lodi  was  formed  from 
Covert;  in  1829,  Waterloo,  Seneca  Falls  and  Tyre  were  taken  from  Junius,  and  in  1830, 
Varick  was  taken  from  Romulus.  In  1808,  the  name  of  Washington  was  changed  to 
Fayette. 

20. 


308  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

What  a  fertile  theme  for  poets,  painters,  philosophers  and 
travellers  for  the  last  twp  thousand  years,  had  they  been 
placed  in  Italy.  The  country  lying  between  these  delight- 
ful lakes  rises  gradually  and  beautifully  from  the  oppo- 
site shore  towards  the  center,  and,  when  cultivated  by  the 
vigorous  arms  of  freemen,  will  become  the  Paradise  and 
garden  of  America."  He  concludes  his  journal  by  giving 
detailed  views  and  estimates  for  the  opening  of  naviga- 
tion from  Seneca  lake  to  the  Hudson  river.  With  pro- 
phetic vision  he  saw  the  future,  and  clearly  and  practically 
marked  out  the  plan  for  its  realization.  He  says,  in  con- 
clusion, '  'let  the  sane  man  realize  the  policy  and  necessity 
of  the  measure  by  exploring  tnese  waters  in  person,  the 
nrst  impression  will  not  fail  to  be  heignrenedintoa  degree 
ol  entnusiasm  bordering  on  iniatuatio^." 

We  nave  seen  now  an  intelligent,  unerring  instinct 
guided  the  Indian  in  the  selection  of  his  dwelling-place, 
how,  when  selling  his  lands,  he  reserved  the  fishery  at 
Skoi-yase  ;  how  the  soldiers  under  Sullivan  readily  com- 
prehended the  beauties  and  advantages  of  this  inter  lake 
country,  and  with  the  advent  of  peace  turned  their  steps 
hitherward  ;  how  far-seeing  capitalists  and  statesmen,  in- 
telligent, public-spirited  men,  took  in  at  a  glance  the  value 
of  this  region.  We  can  readily  imagine  the  young  man 
from  the  old  settlements  of  the  east,  hardy,  vigorous, 
ambitious,  eager  to  make  for  himself  a  home  and  a  com- 
petence, stimulated  by  the  glowing  description  given  by 
the  soldiers,  of  the  beautiful  lake  region  through  which 
they  had  followed  the  fleeing  savages,  setting  out  to  see 
with  his  own  eyes  this  El  Dorado.  Following  the  track 
of  the  army  by  Newt  own  to  Seneca  lake,  down  the  lake 
and  through  its  narrow  outlet  bordered  with  massive  for- 
est trees,  which,  sometimes  fallen,  obstruct  his  boat,  he 
nears  the  place  where  Waterloo  now  stands.  Passing  a 
forest  of  rustling  pines  he  comes  to  an  island  covered  with 
verdure.  Here  commence  the  rapids,  where  the  stream, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION. 

widening  and.  curving,  eddies  and  whirls  and  foams  over 
its  rocky  bed.  He  finds  himself  in  a  valley  from  which, 
by  a  gentle  slope,  the  ground  rises  to  the  north  and  south. 
Oaks  and  maples  attest  the  richness  of  the  soil.  The 
pleasant  elevation  of  the  ground  on  the  north,  indicat- 
ing sites  for  future  homes,  and  dotted  with  the  cleared 
fields  and  the  relics  of  the  Indian  town ;  the  south  side 
exhibiting  the  traces  of  the  important  fishing  industry 
carried  on  there  for  years  by  the  Indians ;  the  tributary 
streams  running  in  from  north  and  south  ;  the  rapid  river 
having  an  immense  lake  reservoir  and  waiting  only  for 
intelligent  industry  to  develope  its  power;  its  bed  of  build- 
ing stone  ;  the  superior  facilities  for  fishing  and  hunting  ; 
the  water  communication  with  the  Seneca  and  Cayuga 
lakes,  and  thence,  in  no  distant  future,  with  the  Hudson  on 
the  east,  lake  Ontario  on  the  north  and  the  Susquehanna 
on  the  south,  all  these  advantages  might  well  lead  him  to 
say,  "I  have  found  a  spot  where  I  will  make  my  home." 

Many  were  attracted,  and  emigration  rapidly  follow- 
ed, rapidly,  if  you  take  into  consideration  the  unsettled 
condition  of  a  new  country  just  emerging  from  a  war 
which  had  drained  her  resources  and  well  nigh  exhausted 
her  vitality.  The  log  mill,  that  most  important  and  in- 
teresting historical  landmark,  was  built  in  1794.  In  1807, 
Elisha  Williams  of  Hudson,  bought  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land  covering  the  present  site  of  Waterloo  north 
of  the  river,  and  in  his  honor  the  settlement  was  called 
]STew  Hudson.  In  i8i  6  that  name  was  dropped  and  the 
present  one  adopted.  The  family  names  given  to  the  streets 
years  after,  Williams,  Elisha,  Virginia,  Elizabeth,  and  the 
grand  old  family  residence  built  for  him  by  his  agent, 
Reuben  Swift, — by  whose  son,  Moses  H.  Swift,  the  house, 
still  known  to  old  residents  as  "the  Mansion" ,  is  owned 
and  occupied, — alone  remain  mementos  of  him  who  once 
owned  the  land  where  Waterloo  is  built.  From  1815  to 
1820,  the  growth  of  the  town  was  rapid,  and  in  1824,  the 


310  SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

village,  then  a  half-shire  and  with  splendid  prospects  for 
the  future,  was  incorporated.  That  date  is  an  appropri- 
ate closing  of  a  third  period  which  forms  a  historic  epoch. 
I  have  in  this  brief  review  indicated  three  salient  points 
of  interest  and  study:  1.  The  country  under  the  peaceful 
occupation  of  the  Indians,  2.  The  revolutionary  period 
embracing  Sullivan's  campaign  as  its  most  prominent  fea- 
ture, closing  with  the  extermination  of  the  Red  men  and 
the  opening  up  to  settlers  of  their  abandoned  lands.  3.  The 
settlement  by  the  whites,  in  which  we  are  most  directly 
and  personally  interested.  That  such  study  should  take 
an  organized  systematic  form,  is  the  object  of  this  organi- 
zation, and  of  our  gathering  here  to-night. 

I  have  alluded  to  that  common  impulse,  which,  within 
the  last  few  years,  has  turned  backward  the  eyes  and 
thoughts  of  the  nation  and  communities.  For  some  years 
a  few  of  the  citizens  of  this  town  have  had  under  consid- 
eration its  past  history,  and  felt  the  need  of  an  organized 
effort  to  rescue  from  oblivion  reminiscences  and  traditions 
of  its  early  settlers.  Rev.  Dr.  Gridley  waited  for  no  asso- 
ciation of  laborers, but  with  zeal, intelligence  and  industry, 
pursued  his  investigations,  and  has  collected  and  published 
a  history  of  Waterloo,  which  is  surprising  in  its  complete- 
ness, and  for  which  the  grateful  thanks  of  the  community 
are  eminently  due.  Two  years  ago  last  March  the  w  ater- 
loo  Historical  Society  was  formed,  holding  its  meetings 
for  a  time  at  the  residences  of  members  until  permission 
was  obtained  to  occupy  this  room.  Papers  relating  to  the 
early  history  of  the  town  were  contributed  by  different 
members,  relics  and  mementos  of  early  days  were  col- 
lected, and  when,  finally,  a  proposition  was  made  by  Mr. 
Thomas  Fatzinger,  to  give  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dol- 
lars, since  increased  to  six  thousand  dollars,  to  be  invested 
for  the  purchase  of  a  library,  the  only  condition  imposed 
being  that  the  Historical  Society  should  become  custo 
dians  and  trustees  of  his  noble  gift,  then  the  Library  and 


OP  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  311 

Historical  Society  was  duly  organized  under  the  statutes 
of  the  state.  We  have  now  a  membership  of  nearly  one 
hundred,  we  have  a  library  of  thirteen  hundred  volumes, 
and  a  collection  of  antiquities  and  valuable  relics  and  cu- 
riosities well  worthy  of  inspection. 

The  Society  has  already  made  for  itself  a  good  name 
and  reputation,  and  there  remains  for  it, I  trust,  a  future 
of  usefulness  and  promise,and  an  influence  in  controlling 
and  shaping  the  intellectual  growth  and  progress  of  the 
town,  and  moulding  the  characters  of  those  who  are  to 
be  the  men  and  women  of  the  future. 

In  whatever  aspect  viewed,  the  past  is  worthy  of  the 
study  of  all.  There  comes  to  every  one,  sooner  or  later, 
a  time  in  life  when  the  eye  of  the  mind  is  turned  to  the 
past, it  may  be  in  sadness,  or  in  reverie.  The  thoughtful 
treasure  up  its  lessons  and  gather  wisdom  from  its  ex- 
periences. The  Student  Hieronymus,  in  Longfellow's 
Hyperion,  wearied  and  saddened  by  disappointment, 
sought  for  peace.  The  Divinity  he  had  invoked  bade  him 
go  to  the  Fountain  of  Oblivion,  in  the  deepest  solitude  of 
the  Black  Forest. and  cast  a  parchment  scroll  she  put  into 
his  hand, into  its  waters.  He  went  upon  his  quest, he  sought 
and  found  the  Fountain,  but  k'on  its  brink  he  paused, and 
gazed  into  the  dark  waters  with  a  steadfast  look,  and  as 
he  gazed,  he  beheld,  far  down  in  their  silent  depths,  dim 
and  ill-defined  outlines,  wavering  to  and  fro, like  the  folds 
of  a  white  garment  in  the  twilight.  Then  more  distinct 
and  permanent  shapes  arose, — familiar  to  his  mind,  yet 
forgotten  and  remembered  again,  as  the  fragments  of  a 
dream;  till  at  length,  far,  tar  below  him,  he  beheld  the 
great  City  of  the  Past,  with  silent  marble  streets,  and 
moss-grown  walls,  and  spires  uprising  with  a  wave  like 
flickering  motion.  And,  amid  the  crowd  that  thronged 
those  streets,  he  beheld  faces  once  familiar  and  dear  to 
him,  and  heard  voices  saying :  'Oh,  forget  us  not;'  and 
then  he  heard  the  distant,  mournful  sound  of  funeral 


312  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 

bells,  that  were  tolling  below,  in  the  City  of  the  Past." 

This  legend  is  the  expression  of  a  great  truth.  The 
past  is  ever  beckoning  and  ever  crying  for  us  to  listen  to 
its  warnings  and  its  teachings.  A  desire  to  be  remembered 
is  a  common  instinct  of  humanity ;  it  is  an  incentive  to 
do  well,  and  to  leave  a  good  name  behind  us  ;  it  prompts 
the  fervent  prayer:  "Lord  keep  my  memory  green  !"  It 
is  due  to  those  who  braved  the  toils  and  privations  of 
frontier  life,  in  order  that  they  might  bequeath  to  us  the 
comforts  by  which  we  are  surrounded,  that  we  keep 
alive  the  recollection  of  their  dangers  and  hardships. 
It  is  due  to  him  who  has  endowed  this  society  so  gener- 
ously, for  the  public  good,  that  by  a  hearty  co-operation 
in  its  work,  we  show  a  grateful  appreciation  of  the  bene- 
fit conferred.  And  more,  it  is  due  to  ourselves  that  we 
thrust  not  aside  the  means  and  appliances  for  culture  and 
intellectual  growth  this  society  affords,  culture,  not  only 
for  the  head  but  for  the  heart.  One  of  the  most  lovely 
attributes  of  humanity  is  that  which  impresses  upon  the 
soul  the  love  of  home.  Side  by  side  with  the  love  for  the 
mother, is  that  kindred  feeling  which  fixes  upon  the  mind 
in  ineffaceable  characters,  and  photographs  indelibly,  all 
the  memories  of  childhood  and  the  associations  of  home, 
which  neither  age  nor  distance  ever  weakens,  which  still 
lives  amid  the  ravings  of  delirium,  or  amid  the  incoher- 
ences of  approaching  dissolution.  The  same  instinct  of 
our  nature,  extended  and  broadened,  embraces  all  the 
familiar  faces,  all  the  well-known  scenes  pertaining  to 
and  surrounding  our  childhood,  and  reaches  back  to 
gather  carefully  the  traditions  and  legends  clustering 
around  the  place  of  our  birth,  arid  to  preserve  the  mem- 
ories of  its  founders, builders  and  benefactors.  Produced 
still  farther,  the  same  feeling  becomes  an  exalted  love  of 
country.  In  like  manner  the  study  of  local  history  be- 
gets the  desire  for  the  acquisition  of  a  knowledge  of  gen- 
eral history.  The  mind,  strengthened  by  use, expanded, 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  313 

developed,  does  not  stop  in  its  search,  but  seeks  for  uni- 
versal information.  When  we  consider,  that, by  the  mu- 
nificence of  Mr.  Fa^zinger,  a  LIBRARY  has  been  secured  in 
perpetuity,  a  library  which  in  ten  years,  from  his  donation 
alone,  would  amount  to  five  thousand  volumes,  I  think 
we  cannot  fail  to  appreciate  the  inestimable  benefit  con- 
ferred upon  the  town,  a  benefit  not  temporary,,  but  last- 
ing. As  long  as  literature  can  find  a  devotee,  or  the  past 
a  reverent  worshipper,  as  long  as  memory  survives,  or 
hope  is  vouchsafed  to  mortals,  books  cannot  die.  I  see 
no  reason  why,  a  century  hence,  those  who  come  after  us 
may  not  meet  to  celebrate  the  Centennial  of  the  Waterloo 
Library  and  Historical  Society,  and  to  recall  with  loving, 
grateful  praise,  his  name  on  whose  foundation  gift  the 
noble  structure  then  to  be  in  existence,  was  built.*  It 
needs  no  prophetic  vision,  looking  forward  ten  years,  to 
behold  our  Society  under  a  roof  of  its  own  building,  with 
ample  hall  for  meetings  and  lectures,  an  alcoved  library, 
a  daily  issue  of  books,  a  reading  room  where  at  all  times 
magazines  and  papers  from  all  parts  of  the  world  invite 
perusal,  and  a  collection  of  relics  and  curiosities  repaying 
hours  of  study  and  inspection.  I  see  it  a  place  of  resort  for 
young  and  old,  its  walls  hung  with  paintings  and  en- 
gravings and  adorned  with  statuary,  presenting,  in  fine, 
all  the  means  for,  and  incentives  to,  aesthetic  and  intellec- 
tual cultivation.  Within  its  walls  will  be  engendered  an 
intellectual  spirit,  which  will  go  out,  pervading,  educating 
and  refining  all  classes,  entering  all  homes,  and  justly 
rendering  our  village  the  pride  and  boast  of  our  citizens. 


314  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 


(APPENDIX,  No.  2.) 


S  KO'I-Y  ASE 


-BY- 


GEOKGE  S.   CONOVER. 


This  village  of  the  Cayuga  Indians  was  located  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Seneca  river,  within  the  bounds  of  the 
present  village  of  Waterloo,  in  Seneca  County,  N.  Y. 
Tlie  name,  as  given  above,  is  on  the  authority  of  Hon. 
Lewis  H.  Morgan,  in  "League  of  the  Iroquois,"  the  sig- 
nification of  it,  as  there  slated,  being  the  "Place  of 
Whortleberries."  In  the  Seneca  arid  Onondaga-  dialects 
it  is  Sa-yase.  In  the  following  paper  the  orthography 
wijl  be  given  as  it  is  found  in  the  documents  from  which 
information  and  extracts  are  derived. 

The  journals  kept  by  the  different  officers  in  the  Sulli- 
van campaign,  have  various  ways  of  spelling  and  pro- 
nouncing the  name,  viz: — Sergeant  Moses  Fellows  calls 
the  place  Long  Falls  ;  Major  Beatty  says  Skaigeeor  Long 
Falls  ;  Major  Norris  says  Shaiyus  or  large  falls  ;  Sergeant 
Major  George  Grant  says  Schoyerre ;  Colonel  Dearborn 
says  Skaigee  ;  Thomas  Grant  says  Scawyace  ;  Lieutenant 
John  Jenkins  says  Scauwaga,  and  in  General  Sullivan's 
report  it  is  Schuyero.  In  the  proceedings  of  the  Board 
of  Commissioners  of  Indian  affairs,  September  4th,  1788, 
it  is  spelled  Skawayes. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  315 

^At  the  treaty  with  the  Cayugas.  at  Albany,  February 
25th,  1789,  a  cession  was  obtained  of  their  lands,  certain 
reservations  excepted,  one  of  the  latter  being  in  the  fol- 
lowing language;— "also  the  Place  in  the  Seneca  River, 
at  or  near  a  Place  called  Skayes,  where  the  Gayugas  have 
heretofore  taken  Eel,  and  a  competent  Piece  of  Land 
on  the  southern  Side  of  the  River  at  the  said  Place  suf- 
ficient for  the  Cayugas  to  land  and  encamp  on  and  to 
cure  their  Eel."  Before  the  sealing  and  delivery  of  this 
deed  of  cession  and  previous  to  the  signature  of  the  wit- 
nesses, some  notes  of  erasures  and  corrections,  as  well  as 
declarations  of  the  construction  or  intent  of  certain  parts 
of  the  treaty  were  made,  among  which  is  the  following: 
"And  the  land  to  be  reserved  at  the  Fishing  Place  near 
Skayes, shall  be  of  the  Extent  of  one  Mile  on  each  Side  of 
the  River,  the  above  Reservation  of  Land  on  the  southern 
Side  of  the  River  only  notwitstanding." 

The  cession  of  the  lands  of  the  Indians  having  been  ob- 
tained, surveyors  were  sent  out  under  the  instructions  and 
direction  of  Simeon  DeWitt,  the  Survey  or- General  of  the 
State,  to  lay  out  the  reservations,  and  to  survey  the  land, 
which  had  been  appropriated  by  acts  of  the  Legislature 
to  the  troops  of  this  State,  in  the  late  army  of  the  United 
States,  and  which  is  now  familiarly  known  as  the  mili- 
tary tract.  Captain  Abraham  Hardenbergh,  having  been 
employed  for  this  purpose,  proceeded  with  his  party  to 
the  lands  of  the  Cayugas. 

On  the  5th  of  July,  1789,  in  a  letter  to  the  Surveyor- 
General,  dated  at  Cayuga  Ferry,  he  writes  of  the  difficul- 
ties that  beset  him,  stating  that  there  was  violent  oppo- 
sition from  the  Lesses  at  Canadesago  [Geneva]  and  that 
they  had  induced  the  Indians  at  Buffalo  Creek,  at  which 
place  many  of  the  Indians  had  settled  after  the  invasion 
of  General  Sullivan's  army,  to  repudiate  the  treaty  ;  that 
the  prominent  Cayuga  Chief,  Fish  Carrier,  was  very  bit- 
ter in  his  opposition,  saying  that  the  treaty  had  been 


316 


SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 


made  by  a  parcel  of  boys  and  old  women,  who  had  no 
authority  to  act  for  the  nation,  and  that  the  Indians  had 
ordered  him  to  desist  from  surveying.  He  had  been  to 
Canadasego  and  had  endeavored  to  resist  the  opposition 
there,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Colonel  Seth  Reed,  Peter 
Ryckman  and  the  Cayuga  Chief,  Steel  Trap,  had  been  in 
a  measure  successful,  "so  that  I  have  no  doubt  if  it  be- 
came necessary  to  beat  up  for  Volunteers,  but  I  would  at 
least  be  able  to  cope  with  the  Lessee  Party  in  Geneva."* 
After  requesting  a  supply  of  arms  and  ammunition,  he 
also  advises k 'that  some  civil  Officers  should  be  appointed 
and  Government  be  established  in  this  Quarter,"  and  gives 
the  names  of  Dr.  Caleb  Benton,  John  McKinstry,  Benjamin 
Allen,  Lark  Jennings  and  several  others  as  the  '  'Heads  of 
the  active  teasees"  of  whom  he  says,  "I  think  it  would 
be  well  if  they  were  immediately  apprehended.  It  would 
discourage  the  rest  and  bring  them  to  serious  reflection." 
Upon  receiving  this  information,  the  surveying  party 
was  speedily  re-inforced  with  men,  provisions,  arms  and 
ammunition ;  a  portion  of  Montgomery  county  was  formed 
into  a  Battalion,  by  Governor  Clinton,  who  commissioned 
Abraham  Hardenbergh  as  Major,  John  Hardenbergh  and 
John  Thornton  as  Captains,  and  Moses  DeWitt  and  Ben- 

*Ranadesaga  was  the  headquarters  of  the  "New  York  Genesee  Land  Company," 
'which  was  organized  in  1787,  and  comprised  eighty  shareholders,  among  the  foremost 
•  of  whom  were  John  Livingston,  Major  Peter  iSchuyler,  Dr.  Caleb  Benton,  Ezekiel  Gil- 
bert, John  McKinstry  and  others.  The  object  was  to  secure  a  Lease  of  all  the  Indian 
lands  in  the  State  for  999  years,  doubtless  relying  upon  their  political  influence  to  se- 
cure legislative  sanction.  The  better  to  effect  their  purpose  they  gave  an  interest  to 
certain  traders  residing  in  the  Indian  country,  and  a  branch  was  organized  in  Canada, 
called  the  "Niagara  Genesee  Land  Company,"  which  enlisted  the  powerful  influence  of 
Colonel  John  Butler,  Samuel  Street,  John  Powell,  Johnson  and  others.  On  the  30th  of 
November,  1787,  a  lease  for  999  years  was  procured  from  the  Six  Nations,  of  all  their 
lauds  and,  January  8th,  1788,  a  like  lease  was  procured  from  the  Oneidas,  both  being 
obtained  by  Livingston  for  himself  and  his  associates.  These  leases  were  repudiated 
and  declared  void  by  the  Legislature,  February  16th,  1788,  and  by  the  energetic  action 
taken  under  the  orders  of  Gov.  George  Clinton,  the  object  of  the  associates  were 
frustrated.  These  leases  were  finally  surrendered  to  the  Board  of  Commissioners  of 
Indian  Affairs,  on  the  14th  of  February,  1789,  by  James  Bryan  and  Benjamin  Birdsall, 
two  of  the  associates.  Notwithstanding  the  failure  of  the  projeet,  the  "Lessees"  con- 
tinued to  wield  a  powerful  influence  with  the  Indians,  and  used  their  power  in  such  di- 
rection as  interest  prompted. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  317 

jamin  Dey  as  Lieutenants.  Civil  commissions  were  also 
issued,  and  Major  Hardenbergh,  Seth  Reed  and  George 
Fleming  were  appointed  Justices  of  the  Peace,  and  au- 
thority was  given  the  Major  "to  swear  all  Officers,  civil 
and  military,"  within  the  "district  of  the  Battalion,"  and 
to  set  the  wheels  of  justice  in  motion,  organize  the  militia 
and  take  such  action  to  authenticate  the  charges  against 
Benton,  McKinstry  and  others,  "so  that  they  can  be  le- 
gally proceeded  against." 

Being  thus  re-inforced,  and  having  the  necessary  legal 
authority  as  well  as  the  means  to  enforce  obedience  to 
the  law,  the  surveyors  were  enabled  to  proceed  with  their 
work,  although  the  disaffection  of  the  Indians  continued 
until  June,  1790,  when  a  further  treaty  was  made  with  the 
Onondagas  on  the  16th,  and  with  the  Cayugas  on  the  22nd, 
which  confirmed  and  ratified  the  preceding  treaties,  and 
which,  being  signed  by  the  Fish  Carrier  and  others  prom- 
inent in  their  opposition,  was  an  amicable  settlement  of 
the  whole  matter. 

On  the  3d  of  September,  1789,  Major  Hardenbergh  writes 
from  Cayuga  lake  to  Governor  George  Clinton,  that  the 
large  reservation  and  Ryckman's  tract  had  been  run  out, 
and  says  that, 

"Mr.  Ryckman  and  the  Cayugas  insist  upon  it,  that  a  Mile  pquareon 
each  side  of  the  River  at  Scaware  is  reserved  to  the  use  of  the  Indians. 
Our  Directions  mention  'a  competent  Piece  of  Land  on  the  southerly 
side,  sufficient  for  the  Indians  to  l#ud,  encamp  and  cure  their  Eels  on.' 
Your  Excellency's  Orders  or  Directions  from  the  Surveyor-General  can 
only  be  our  guide  herein,  and  we  shall  be  obliged  to  abide  by  our  pres- 
ent Directions,  unless  new  Instructions  are  received,  for  which  Reason 
we  have  postponed  the  Survey  for  some  time.  I  have  only  to  observe 
that  their  old  encamping  Place  is  on  the  north  side,  and  the  southerly 
side  is  low,  wet  Ground. " 

From  the  foregoing,  it  would  seem  that  in  giving  the 
instructions  to  Major  Hardenbergh,  the  declaratory  clause 
at  the  end  of  the  treaty  had  been  overlooked,  and  from  the 
reply  of  Governor  Clinton  to  the  Major,  dated  New  York, 
September  19th,  1789,  the  same  had  escaped  his  atten- 


318  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 

tion.     The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  Governor's 
letter : 

"The  Powers  of  the  Commissioners  for  treating  with  the  Indians  ex- 
pired thirty  days  after  the  last  meeting  of  the  Legislature.  It  is  not 
in  my  power  therefore  to  gwe  any  positive  Directions  than  what  is  con- 
tained in  the  Deed  of  Cession  from  the  Caj'ugas  respecting  the  Reser- 
vation at  the  Scawyace,  having  no  Board  to  consult  on  the  Subject.  It 
is  my  Opinion,  however,  that  it  will  be  serving  the  Interest  of  the  State 
to  gratify  them,  and  that  you  will  stand  justified  in  your  Survey  to 
make  the  small  Reservation  they  claim  at  that  Place.  It  cannot  be  an 
Object  worth  contending  about, and  your  making  the  Reservation  will 
at  any  rate  not  confer  Title.  It  appears  to  be  of  the  Hrst  importance  to 
retain  the  Confidence  and  Friendship  of  the  Indians  with  whom  we  have 
treated." 

Upon  receiving  this  letter  from  Governor  Clinton,  the 
survey  was  resumed  and  a  reservation  of  one  square  mile, 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  was  laid  out  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river.  The  maps  of  township  eleven  (Romu- 
lus) and  twenty-six  (Junius),  made  at  that  time,  and  filed 
in  1790,  are  yet  in  existence  and  now  in  the  office  of  the 
Secretary  of  State  at  Albany,  both  townships  being  a 
part  of  the  military  tract.  On  map  of  township  twenty- 
six  (Junius)  is  the  ''Cayuga  Reservation  at  Scawyace," 
which  is  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  river,  on  the  west 
by  lot  ninety-seven,  on  the  north  by  parts  of  lots  ninety- 
seven,  ninety-eight,  and  on  the  east  by  lot  ninety-eight. 
These  two  lots  surround  the  reservation  on  three  sides, 
and  were  allotted  to  soldiers,  number  ninety-seven  to 
Captain  Michael  Dunning,  and  ninety-eight  to  Lieuten- 
ant Colonel  Lewis  Atayataghronghta. 

On  map  of  township  eleven  (Romulus)  there  is  no  reser- 
vation laid  out,  but  the  lots  fronting  the  river,  appear 
as  part  of  the  military  lands,  and  are  numbered  from  one 
to  nine  inclusive,  commencing  at  Seneca  Lake,  and  with 
the  exception  of  number  four,  were  allotted  to  soldiers. 
Numbers  four  and  five  are  directly  opposite  the  reserva- 
tion on  the  north  side  of  the  river. 

Each  New  York  private  soldier,  who  was  awarded  boun 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  319 

ty  land,  drew  a  lot  of  six  hundred  acres  in  the  military 
tract,  when  he  had  previously  assigned  to  the  State  all 
claim  for  continental  bounty.  When  such  assignment 
had  not  been  made,  one  hundred  acres  were  reserved  to 
the  State.  In  some  instances,  fifty  acres  were  reserved 
upon  the  subdividing  of  the  lots,  for  the  expense  of  the 
survey,  and  were  known  as  the  survey  fifty  acres.  Six 
lots  in  every  township  of  the  military  tract  were  reserved, 
one  for  gospel  and  school  lands,  one  for  literature,  and 
four  eventually  to  compensate  certain  parties.  The  min- 
utes of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Land  Office,  July  31st, 
1790,  show,  that  by  mistake  lot  number  four  in  township 
eleven  (Romulus)  which  had  been  reserved,  had  been  al- 
lotted to  James  Boswith,  and  they  had  to  repeal  their 
action,  and  Major  Boswith  was  allotted  instead,  number 
eighty-one  in  township  sixteen  (Ovid).  Five  hundred  acres 
of  lot  three  was  allotted  to  Peter  Dumas,  and  the  same 
quantity  of  lot  five  to  Samuel  Potter,  the  patents  being  is- 
sued respectively  to  Dennis  McGuire  and  William  Thomp- 
son. One  hundred  acres  off  of  the  south-east  corner  of 
each  lot  were  patented  to  Stephen  Bayard  and  William 
I.  Yredenburgh,  respectively. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  years,  further  negotiations  were 
had  with  the  Indians,  and  a  treaty  was  held  with  theCay- 
ugas,  at  Cayuga  Ferry,  July  'J7th,  i795,  at  which  time  a 
cession  was  obtained  of  their  reservations,  "as  well  the 
lands  bordering  on  and  adjacent  to  the  Cayuga  Lake  com- 
monly called  the  Cayuga  Reservation,  as  the  lands  at 
Scaw-yace  and  elsewhere,"  excepting  however  and  reserv- 
ing to  the  Cayugas  a  piece  of  land  two  of  miles  square, 
which  was  located  on  the  east  side  of  Cayuga  lake  and 
known  as  the  "Cayuga  Residence  Reservation  ;  also  one 
other  piece  of  one  mile  square  and  the  mine  within  the 
same,  and  known  as  the  Mine  Reservation"  in  Cayuga 
county  ;  "also  one  other  piece  of  land  of  one  mile  square 
at  Cannogai  for  the  use  of  an  Indian  Sachem  of  the  said 


820  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

nation  called  Fish  Carrier  and  for  the  use  of  his  posterity 
forever,"  the  latter  being  commonly  known  as  the  Canoga 
Reservation.  The  first  two  being  common  property  they 
sold  to  the  State  in  1807. 

The  reservation  at  Scaw-yace  having  been  ceded  to  the 
State  by  the  treaty  of  July  V27th,  1795,  was  granted  to  John 
McKinstry  in  pursuance  of  an  Act  of  the  Legislature 
passed  March  3d,  1802,  which  law  enacts  "That  the  Com- 
missioners of  the  Land  Office  be  and  are  hereby  authorized 
and  directed  to  grant  letters  patent  in  the  usual  form  to 
John  McKinstry,  his  heirs  and  assigns,  for  a  certain  lot  of 
land,  belonging  to  the  People  of  the  State,  in  the  town  of 
Junius,  Cayuga  county,  called  the  Scoyes  Reservation," 
etc. — provided  that  he  execute  a  bond  and  mortgage  for 
the  purchase  money,  at  the  rate  of  two  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  per  acre,  payable  in  ten  years,  with  annual  interest 
at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent.  In  book  twenty-five  of  Pat- 
ents, page  four  hundred  and  seventeen,  the  Patent  is  re- 
corded as  passing  the  Secretary's  office  December  31st, 
1807,  and  the  following  is  a  brief  abstract :  "All  that  cer- 
tatn  tract  of  land  situate  in  che  Township  of  Junius,  Seneca 
County,  known  and  distinguished  by  the  name  of  the 
Cayuga  Reservation  at  Scoyes  or  Scawyace  and  bounded 
on  the  South  by  the  Seneca  River,  West  by  lot  number 
ninety-seven,  North  by  parts  of  number  ninety- seven  and 
number  ninety-eight,  East  by  number  ninety-eight,  con- 
taining six  hundred  and  forty  acres." 

Although  no  reservation  for  the  Indians  had  been  mark- 
ed on  the  map  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  yet  it  ap- 
pears that  lot  number  four  had  been  set  apart  for  that 
purpose,  as  will  appear  from  the  following  records  in  the 
Assembly  Journal,  January  1 6th.  1799  : 

"Mr.  King  from  the  Committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  petition  of 
Samuel  Bear  reported,  that  in  the  year  1792,  Bear  made  an  actual  set- 
tlement on  a  tract  of  land{in  the  township  of  Romulus.joining  the  Seneca 
river,  that  he  held  it  by  lease  from  the  Cayuga  Indians,  by  their  free 
and  voluntary  consent,  that  the  land  which  he  so  held  and  improved  is 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  321 

part  of  that  particular  tract  on  the  Southern  side  of  the  Seneca  river, 
reserved  by  the  Cayugas  'for  landing,  encamping  and  curing  Eels,'  that 
by  an  act  passed  in  the  18th  session,  [1795,]  it  was  provided  and  intended 
that  the  remainder  and  reversion  of  all  lands  so  held  should  accrue  to 
the  benefit  and  behoof  of  the  occupants;  that  as  the  particular  reserva 
tion  on  the  Seneca' are  not  definitely  set  forth  in  the  covenant  between 
the  people  of  this  State  and  the  Cayugas,  it  thence  follows,  that  the  said 
Samuel  did  not  retain  his  certificate  of  occupancy  nor  of  course  pursue 
certain  other  measures  required  by  the  said  act.  The  committee  how- 
ever, are  of  opinion, that  as  the  said  Samuel  has  very  industriously  pros- 
ecuted his  improvements  together  with  the  useful  building  of  mills,'&c. 
and  seems  not  to  have  suffered  prejudices  by  laches  of  his  own,  the  said 
Samuel  ought  to  be  considered  by  the  Legislature,  and  they  ask  leave 
to  bring  in  a  bill  for  his  relief." 

STo  favorable  action  being  had  on  the  foregoing,  on 
the  7th  of  March  1799,  Mr.  Bear  presented  a  second  peti- 
tion, which  having  been  referred  to  the  same  committee, 
Mr.  King  reported  on  the  8th  of  March  : 

"That  the  committee  have  examined  the  petitition  and  two  several 
documents  from  the  Secretary's  office,  relating  to  the  subject ;  one  of 
these  contains  an  abstract  from  the  covenant  with  the  Cayugas,  made 
in  1789,  in  which  they  reserve  among  other  things  a  tract  on  the  south 
side  of  Seneca  River  over  against  the  place  called  Skayes  ;  the  other  is 
a  certificate  by  which  it  appears  that  lot  No.  4,  Romulus,  is  reserved  to 
the  State  or  unsold.  The  committee  are  of  the  opinion,  that  the  state- 
ment  of  facts  made  in  the  petition  is  just  and  that  the  prayer  of  the 
petitioner  ought  to  be  gi anted." 

This  finally  resulted  in  the  passage  of  an  act,  Chapter 
53,  March  27,  1799,  the  second  section  of  which  says : 
"That  the  Surveyor-General  shall  execute  to  Samuel 
Bear  a  conveyance  of  one  hundred  acres  of  lot  number 
four,  Romulus,  and  take  a  mortgage  thereon,  at  and 
after  the  rate  of  $3.00  per  acre."  The  bond  given  for 
this  purchase  was  executed  in  1805  for  $275.,  the  last 
payment  on  which  was  made  by  John  McLean,  February 
26,  1822.  The  one  hundred  acres  procured  by  Samuel 
Bear,  was  off  of  the  north  end  of  lot  4,  and  comprised 
the  whole  river  front  of  said  lot. 

The  remaining  five  hundred  acres  of  lot  four  being  still 
undisposed  of,  Mr.  Bear  made  another  effort  to  obtain 


322  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

the  same,  and  presented  a  petition  to  the  Legislature 
which  was  read  in  the  Assembly  March  23d,  1802,  and  is 
recorded  in  Assembly  Papers  misc.  vol.  V.  p.  405,  as  fol- 
lows : 

"The  petition  of  Samuel  Bear,  who  humbly  showeth,  that  in  the 
year  1799,  your  Petitioner  presented  his  petition  to  the  Honorab'e  the 
Legislature,  praying:  for  a  grant  of  Lot  4.  To*rn*hip  of  Romulus,  Cay- 
uga  Co.,  laying  on  the  South  Side  of  the  Seneca  Outlet  and  known  by 
the  name  of  Scawyes.  The  Honb'lethe  Assembly,  passe  j  a  bill  grant- 
ing the  lot  at  $2.50  per  acre,  but  the  Hon'ble  the  Senate  rejected  the  bill 
on  the  principle  of  its  being  lower  than  the  average  price  of  tl.e  Indian 
Reservation.  Your  Petitioner  fearing  the  average  price  and  not  being 
willing:  to  pay  at  that  rate  for  the  whole  lot. was  under  the  necessity  of 
accepting  a  grant  of  100  acres." 

'•Your  petitioner  now  finding  himself  very  ill  accomodated  with  100 
acres  of  land  and  having  been  nine  vears  in  possession  of  said  Lot  and 
has  been  a  sharer  of  the  difficulties  and  inconveniences  which  have  at- 
tended the  settlement  of  that  new  country,  your  petititioner  therpfor 
claiming  the  refusal  of  said  Lot  bv  a  degree  of  merit.  Humblv  solicits 
3Tour  Honorable  body  for  a  grant  thereof  at  such  rate  as  mav  b'i  reason- 
able, and  your  Petitioner  sha1!  ever  pray." 

SAMUEL  BEAR 

No  favorable  action  being  taken,  on  the  3d  of  February 
1803,  a  petition  was  presented  to  the  Assembly  by  Samuel 
Bear,  Thomas  Stewart,  Samuel  M.  Smith  and  John  Baer, 
for  an  act  to  enable  them  to  purchase  at  a  reasonable 
price,  and  on  the  5th  February,  another  petition  was 
presented  by  Robert  Carouthers,  Phillipp  Purchase, 
John  Kipp  and  John  Lewis,  stating  that  they  had  be- 
come actual  settlers,  and  ask  to  obtain  title  of  200  acres 
from  the  south  end  of  the  lot. 

« 

The  action  taken  by  the  Legislature  was  the  passage 
of  Chapter  106,  Laws  of  1803,  which  authorized  the  sale 
at  Public  Yendue,  of  the  unappropriated  lands  of  the 
State,  and  in  accordance  with  this  act,  the  Surveyor- 
General  held  such  sale  on  the  25th  of  February  1808, 
when  lot  No.  4  was  sold  by  subdivisions  as  surveyed  and 
laid  out  according  to  the  lield  notes  in  Field  Book  No.  7 
pages  205— r208,  and  a  map  accompanying  the  same  (page 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  333 

209),  filed  August  27,  1806,  a  few  abstracts  from  which 
are  as  follows : 

Sub-divisions  of  Lot  4,  Romulus.  Lot  1,  193  6-10  acres.  "Beginning 
at  N.  W.  Corner  of  said  lot  number  one,  and  at  S.  W.  corner  of  one 
hundred  acres  heretofore  granted  to  Samuel  Bear,  (Act  of  March  27, 
1799,  Chap,  53  Sec.  2,)  thence  East  along  Bear's  south  bounds  48  chains,' 
Land  poor.  Said  Bear  has  an  improvement  on  this  lot."  Lot 
No.  2,  60  acres.  "Land  indifferent.  Timber,  oak.  An  improvement 
and  a  settlement  upon  this  lot."  No.  3,66  acres.  Land  middling.  Timber, 
Oak,  some  maple  and  hickory.  An  improvement  on  this  lot,"  No.  4, 
133  acres.  "Land  good.  Timber,  maple,  basswood.  oak,  hickory,  &c. 
An  improvement  on  this  lot  made  by  Ephraim  Bear." 

The  purchasers  at  said  sale  were  John  Watkins  of  No. 
1.  at  8775  ;  John  Watkins,  No.  2,  $180;  Lodowick  Miller, 
No.  3,  $231;  Ephraim  Bear,  No.  4,  $532;  the  survey  50 
acres,  being  reserved  off  of  the  S.  W.  corner.  When  the 
last  payments  were  made,  some  years  after,  the  patents 
were  issued  to  the  purchasers  of  numbers  3  and  4,  and  to 
William  James  and  Henry  Wuchter,who  had  purchased 
from  Watkins,  for  numbers  1  and  2,  respectively. 

On  the  first  map  embracing  the  military  tract,published 
by  Simeon  DeWitt,  the  Surveyor-General,  in  1802,  the 
reservation  at  Scaw  yace  is  laid  down  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  in  the  town  of  Junius,  while  there  is  none 
marked  on  the  south  of  the  river  in  the  town  of  Romu- 
lus. On  Burr's  Atlas,  published  in  1829,  under  the  su- 
pervision of  the  Surveyor-General,  the  reservation  is  still 
noted  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  in  the  town  of  Wa- 
terloo, while  the  village  of  Scawas  is  marked  on  the  south 
side,in  the  town  of  Fayette,but  the  latter  is  evidently  the 
settlement  which  had  lately  been  made,  and  has  no  refer- 
ence to  any  previous  Indian  Village. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  observed  that  Skoi-yase 
was  an  important  place,  where  the  Cayuga  Indians  caught 
and  cured  large  quantities  of  eels.  That  this  fish  was 
one  of  their  important  supplies  of  food  is  corrpborated 
from  many  sources,  one  of  which  it  is  only  necessary  to 
give.  In  the  year  1750,  Bishop  Cammerhoff  and  Rev. 

21. 


324  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

D.  Zeisberger,the  Moravian  missionarie8,left  Wyoming  on 
a  tour  to  the  Cayuga  and  other  Indians.  On  arriving  at  the 
southernmost  point  of  Lake  Cayuga,  they  were  met  by  a 
party  of  Indians  encamped  in  a  cave,  who  generously 
replenished  their  scanty  stores  with  a  supply  of  dried  eels. 

Other  varieties  of  fish  were  also  caught  in  large  quan- 
tities, so  that  Skoi-yase  was  of  great  importance  as  a 
fishing  station.  The  journal  of  George  Grant  says  that 
there  were  "several  fish  ponds  abounding  opposite  the 
town."  These  were  circular  enclosures  of  stone  from 
thirty  to  forty  feet  in  diameter,  built  upon  the  rocky  bed 
of  the  stream,  where  the  water  was  neither  very  deep  or 
rapid,  so  constructed  as  to  permit  the  water  to  pass 
through,  but  to  retain  the  fish.  The  official  map  made 
by  the  first  surveyors  of  Township  No.  9.6  (Junius)  and 
heretofore  mentioned  as  being  filed  in  1790.  has  noted  on 
it  the  "Eel  Wears"  in  the  river  south  of  the  "Cayuga 
Reservation  at  Scawyace,"  said  weirs  being  north  of  lots 
4  and  5  on  the  map  of  Township  ll(Romulus.)  The  manner 
•of  catching  the  fish  is  well-described  by  Elk  an  ah  Wat- 
son, in  his  journal  in  "Men  and  Times  of  the  Revolution" 
September  14th,  1791,  after  leaving  Oneida  lake  and  en- 
tering the  Onondaga  river  and  giving  a  brief  description 
of  the  same,  he  says:  "These  waters  abound  in  cat-fish, 
salmon,  bass,  eel,  and  corporals,  all  veiy  fine  and  fat. 
They  are  caught  in  eel  weirs,  formed  by  Indians  thus  : — 
Two  walls  of  loose  stones  are  thrown  up,  obliq  uely  descend- 
ing across  the  river,  to  a  point,  where  they  are  taken  at  a 
small  opening,  in  baskets  or  eel  pots,  Salmon  are  caught 
at  the  Oswego  falls  in  the  night,  by  spearing  them, 
as  they  vault  up, the  Falls,  by  theaid  of  torch  lights." 

These  fish  ponds  are  well  remembered  by  the  older  in- 
habitants of  Waterloo,  although  until  lately  they  had 
little  or -no  conception  of  their  use.  Colonel  Horace  F. 
Gustin  has  a  distinct  recollection  of  them  and  says,  July 
12th,  1880:  "The  fish  ponds  were  there  as  left  by  the  In- 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  325 

dians  when  I  came  to  Waterloo  in  1815;  at  that  time  I  had 
no  idea  what  they  were  for,  and  never  thought  of  their 
being  used  as  fish  ponds  until  last  summer,  when  General 
John  S.  Clark,  who  was  then  at  Waterloo,  asked  me 
about  them,  when  I  went  with  him  and  stood  upon  the 
exact  location.  The  remains  of  the  fish  weirs  were  here  for 
years  after  I  came  to  Waterloo."  In  a  pencil  sketch  he 
has  furnished  the  writer,  and  without  any  knowledge  of 
what  had  been  written  by  Elkanah  Watson,  he  gives  a 
complete  and  perfect  draught  of  the  weirs, as  described  in 
the  extract  as  above  taken  from  Mr.  Watson's  journal. 
Colonel  Ghistin  further  says  that,  "there  were  several  of 
these  fish  weirs  in  what  used  to  be  called  the  rapids  in 
the  river  directly  opposite  the  present  village  of  Water- 
loo, and  that  the  wings  of  the  weirs.were  built  of  brush 
and  stone.  The  fish  ponds  were  irregular  in  shape,  but 
of  a  circular, sometimes  rather  oblong, form,  from  twenty 
to  forty  feet  in  diameter,  and  were  built  of  stonejn  shal- 
low water,  not  very  far  from  the  shore,  and  with  open- 
ings sufficient  to  let  the  water  circulate  freely,and  yet  re- 
tain the  fish." 

The  sketch  shows  that  the  wings  of  the  weirs  com- 
menced on  each  side  in  shallow  water,  some  of  them  near 
the  shore,  and  so  shaped  as  to  empty  into  the  main  chan- 
nel, where  the  walls  of  the  weirs  would  run  down  the 
river  obliquely  towards  the  center  until  they  were  suffi- 
ciently near  together  so  that  a  basket,  made  for  thatpur- 
pose,  could  be  held  or  placed  at  the  opening,  and  prove 
a  proper  receptacle  for  catching  and  retaining  the  fish. 
The  fish  would  then  be  thrown  into  the  ponds,  .which 
were  located  on  the  sides  of  the  weir,  not  far  from  the 
opening  or  end,  where  they  could  be  preserved  alive  and 
tak  en  ou  t  as  wanted  for  use,  while  the  eels  would  be  killed 
and  properly  cured  as  was  the  Indian  custom,  in  which 
manner  they  were  preserved  for  future  use. 


326  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 


(APPENDIX,  No.  3.) 


GENERAL  SULLIVAN'S  PICTURE. 

The  Portrait  of  General  Sullivan,  which  appears  in  this 
work.isa  faithful  copy  of  that  contained  in  "The  Military 
Services  and  Public  Life  of  Mai  or- General  John  Sulli- 
van of  the  Revolutionary  Army,"  by  Hon.  Thomas  C. 
Amory,  a  grand  nephew  of  our  hero.  The  truthfulness 
of  the  likeness  is  attested  in  the  following:  letter  : 

19  COMMONWEALTH  AVE.  ,  BOSTON,  MASS..  ) 

June  5th,  1880.    '  f 

MY  DEAR  SIR:— 

The  plate  of  the  engraved  portrait  of  .General  Sullivan 
in  my  "Military  Services,"  was,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  de- 
stroyed in  our  great  fire  of  1872 — and  I  have  but  few 
copies  of  the  impressions  taken  from  it,  left. 

The  engraving  made  last  summer  for  the  use  of  your 
committee,  at  the  Waterloo  Centennial, — of  which  you 
sent  me  a  copy — was  a  very  good  one,  and  I  doubt  it'  it 
can  be  improved  upon. 

The  colored  engraving,  from  which  an  oil  painting  by 
Otis,  a  pupil  of  Stuart,  was  taken,  now  in  my  possession, 
substantially  that  in  my  book,  was  pronounced  by  the 
widow  of  General  Sullivan,  as  her  descendants  have  told 
me,  an  excellent  likeness.  The  portrait  from  which  that 
engraving  was  taken,  must  have  been  painted  between 
1770  and  1776,  at  which  last  period,  the  engraving  was 
made  in  London,  as  were  similar  likenesses  of  our  other 
Revolutionary  Generals — it  being  an  object  to  know  what 
the  rebel  leaders  looked  like.  From  the  dress,  when  the 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  327 

engraving  was  colored,  being  British  in  hue,  (scarlet,)  I 
have  sometimes  conjectured  it  might  have  been  painted 
in  1772,  when  John  Sullivan  and  Rumford,  were  made 
Majors  by  Governor  Wentworth  in  New  Hampshire. 

About  1784,  Trumbull  visited  New  Hampshire,  and 
when  General  Sullivan  had  but  twenty  minutes  to  devote 
to  the  purpose,  made  a  crayon  sketch  of  him.  This  was 
after  his  illness,  occasioned  by  exposure  in  the  New  York 
Expedition,  which  had  shattered  his  constitution.  A  copy 
of  it  was  made  by  Cole  for  the  Concord,  N.  H.  State 
House,  at  the  charge  of  Dr.  Sullivan,a  great  grandson  of 
General  Sullivan,  but  it  never  satisfied  me,  and  when  in 
1876,  it  was  concluded  to  have  a  portrait  painted  for  In- 
dependence Hall  at  Philadelphia,  some  of  us  subscribed 
and  Mr.  Staigg,  one  of  our  best  portait  painters,  taking 
the  portrait  in  my  book,  and  Trumbull' s  sketch  for  his 
guide,  painted  with  conscientious  fidelity,  what  seemed 
to  me,  a  truthful  portrait  of  the  man  as  he  would  have 
been,  about  1780,  mid-way  in  time  between  the  two  dates, 
without  any  covering  to  the  head  and  about  as  much  of 
the  person  as  shown  in  your  copy. 

I  shall  look  forward  with  great  interest  to  your  publi- 
cation, covering  your  Centennial  Celebration. 

Yours  faithfully, 

T.  C.  AMORY. 


Note.— In  the  June,  1880,  number  of  the  Magazine  of 
American  History,  appears  an  article  by  Mr.  Amory,  on 
the  New  York  Indian  Campaign  of  1779.  D.  w.,  JR. 


328  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 


(APPENDIX  No.  4.) 


CIRCULAR  ISSUED  TO  TOWN   COMMITTEES. 
Headquarters  Executive  Committee  of  the 

CENTENNIAL    CELEBRATION    OF     SULLIVAN'S 
CAMPAIGN. 

WATERLOO,  N\  Y.,  May  15,  1879. 
DEAR  SIR  :— 

A  meeting  of  the  Executive  Committee  representing 
the  several  towns  of  Seneca  County,  and  the  Waterloo 
Library  and  Historical  Society,  was  held  April  9th,  ult., 
for  the  purpose  of  making  preliminary  arrangements  for 
the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General  Sullivan's  Indian 
Campaign,  at  Waterloo,  on  the  3d  of  September  next. 

At  this  meeting  the  organization  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee was  perfected,  and  several  business  committees 
were  appointed. 

The  undersigned,  secretaries  of  the  organization,  and 
by  direction  of  the  Executive  Committee,  herewith  re- 
spectfully communicate  to  the  local  committee  of  each 
town,  the  action  of  the  committee  at  the  meeting  above 
referred  to,  together  with  a  few  suggestions  for  consider- 
ation. 

The  Executive  Committee  at  said  meeting,  determined, 
among  other  things,  upon  the  following  points  : 

FIRST — Each  town  to  appear  in  a  body  upon  the  day 
of  the  celebration,  at  a  place  of  rendezvous  in  Waterloo — 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  329 

to  be  hereafter  designated  by  the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments— to  be  assigned  a  place  in  the  procession,  and  to 
furnish  its  own  martial  music  and  banners. 

Under  ihis  head,  it  is  respectfully  suggested  to  the 
local  town  committees  in  towns  in  which  there  are  no 
uniformed  military  organizations,  that  it  may  be  possible 
to  interest  civic  organizations  to  unite  -in  a  body,  with 
the  citizens  of  the  town  in  the  town  procession,  especially, 
Posts  of  veterans  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
Lodges  of  the  Patrons  of  Husbandry,  Masonic  Lodges 
and  Odd  Fellows  and  Knights  of  Pythias,  etc.  The  local 
committee  of  each  town  will  select  two  mounted  aids  to 
take  charge  of  the  town  procession.  It  is  important  that 
due  effort  be  made  to  secure  martial  music  by  each  town. 

SECOND — The  local  committee  of  each  town,  will  select 
a  citizen  of  the  town  to  respond,  in  behalf  of  the  town,  to 
a  sentiment  or  toast,  in  a  brief  address,  on  the  afternoon 
of  the  celebration. 

THIRD — The  local  committee  of  each  town,  will  select 
one  Vice-President,  to  serve  on  the  day  of  the  celebration. 
Such  selection  should  be  made  not  later  than  July  first, 
in  order  that  the  name  may  appear  upon  the  programme 
of  the  day. 

FOURTH— Each  town  committee  is  to  select  a  town  His- 
torian, to  collect  and  receive  from  the  members  of  the 
town  committee  and  citizens  of  the  town  or  elsewhere, 
statistics,  facts  and  data,  bearing  upon  the  Sullivan 
Campaign  and  the  settlement  and  early  history  of  the 
town. 

It  is  respectfully  suggested,  that  in  those  towns  in 
which  the  local  committees  have  not  yet  selected  the  Vice- 
President,  Historian,  and  local  speaker  to  respond  on  the 
day  of  celebration— a  meeting  of  such  committee 
be  held  at  an  early  day,  to  take  action  thereon,  say  on 
May  30,  (a  public  holiday)  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M.,  at  a 


330  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

placv  to  be  selected  by  the  resident  member  of  the  Coun- 
ty Executive  Committee — and  the  name  of  the  Vice- 
President,  Historian,  etc.,  selected,  should  be  forwarded 
to  S.  R.  Welles,  one  of  the  secretaries,  at  Waterloo. 

For  the  information  of  town  committees,  it  may  not 
be  out  of  place  to  further  state,  that  it  is  expected  to  hold 
the  celebration  upon  the  Waterloo  Fair  Grounds,  upon 
the  plan  of  a  basket  picnic,  and  that  ample  arrangements 
will  be  made  for  the  admission  of  teams  to  the  grounds. 

The  Executive  Committee,  at  the  time  of  its  organiza- 
tion, also  made  it  incumbent  upon  the  town  committees 
to  collect  materials  in  relation  to  the  settlement  and  early 
history  of  their  respective  towns.  In  reference  to  this 
point,  the  undersigned  respectfully  suggest,  that  especial 
effort  be  made  to  supply  facts  and  data,  omitted  in  Mr. 
Delatield's  History,  and  the  County  History  of  1876, 
upon  the  following  topics  : 

1 — Information  as  to  the  Indians  residing  between 
Seneca  and  Cayuga  Lakes,  their  villages,  fortifications 
and  strength,  mounds,  apple  orchards,  etc.,  together  with 
any  information  accessible,  as  to  the  visits  or  settlement 
of  missionaries  or  other  white  men,  within  the  limits  of 
Seneca  County,  prior  to  1787. 

2 — As  to  the  names  of  soldiers  of  Sullivan's  Campaign 
and  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  who  lived  in  this  county 
at  the  time  of  their  death,  giving  if  possible,  also  their 
places  of  birth,  length  of  military  service  and  in  what 
battles  engaged,  place  of  death  and  where  buried. 

3 — As  to  the  early  settlers  of  each  town,  early  town 
officers,  and  records,  and  town  meetings — and  particular- 
ly as  to  local  history  while  this  county  formed  a  part  of 
Montgomery,  Herkimer,  Onondaga  and  Cayuga  counties 
from  1787  to  1804.  In  this  connection,  lists  of  the  super- 
visors of  the  four  oldest  towns,  Ovid,  Romulus,  Fayette 
and  Junius,  for  the  first  thirty  or  forty  years  of  their 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  331 

existence,  will  be  of  great  interest,  as  well  as  full  lists  of 
town  officers  of  Ovid  and  Romulus  prior  to  1800. 

4 — Historical  facts  relative  to,  and  brief  biographical 
sketches  of,  early  pioneer  settlers,  early  county  officers 
residing  in  each  town,  and  of  the  leading  public  men, 
clergymen,  lawyers,  physicians,  editors,  teachers  and 
surveyors,  omitted  in  the  County  History,  and  matters 
relating  to  public  schools.  In  this  connection,  the  history 
of  church  organizations,  which  have  been  omitted  in  the 
County  History,  should  be  supplied. 

5 — Facts  as  to  early  stores,  taverns,  grist  and  saw  mills, 
manufactories  and  merchants,  tradesmen,  mechanics  and 
inventors,  and  systems  of  farming  and  farm  implements 
in  use  at  different  periods,  etc. 

6 — As  to  the  local  militia  and  soldiers  of  the  war  of 
1812,  and  the  Florida  and  Mexican  wars,  and  data  to 
supply  omissions  in  the  record  of  the  late  war,  1861-65, 
in  the  County  History. 

7— Early  history  of  modes  of  travel,  by  stage,  canal 
packet,  lake  steamboats  and  railroads,  and  relative  to 
the  early  history  of  the  Cayuga  Bridge  and  Cayuga  and 
Seneca  Lake  ferries,  turnpikes,  etc. 

8 — Any  other  interesting  facts  relating  to  the  early  his- 
tory of  each  town,  which  may  occur  to  the  town  com- 
mittees of  each  town. 

It  is  respectfully  suggested,  that  the  historical  infor- 
mation herein  mentioned,  be  handed,  when  collected,  to 
the  Town  Historian,  in  each  town,  prior  to  August  first, 
and  be  by  him  or  by  the  local  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee,  handed  over  to  Samuel  R.  Welles,  Waterloo, 
to  be  deposited  in  the  Library  of  the  Waterloo  Library 
and  Historical  Society,  prior  to  the  Celebration,  to  be  ac- 
cessible to  the  Historian  in  connection  with  such  Celebra- 
tion. 


332          SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Much  of  the  historical  data,  the  collection  of  which  is 
invited,  may  during  the  summer  be  first  furnished  to  the 
public  newspaper  press  of  the  county,  and  preserved  in 
permanent  form,  thus  creating  an  increased  interest  in 
early  local  history,  as  well  as  furnishing  interesting  read- 
ing matter. 

Until  the  formation  of  a  County  Historical  Society— 
which  it  is  hoped  may  grow  out  of  the  proposed  Celebra- 
tion— efforts  to  collect  early  local  history  must  in  a  great 
measure  devolve  upon  the  local  committees. 

The  undersigned  will  be  pleased,  at  any  time,  to  re- 
ceive information  as  to  the  progress  of  the  work  of  local 
organizations  and  preparation  for  the  Celebration,  from 
the  several  towns. 

In  behalf  of  the  Executive  Committee, 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

S.  R.  WELLES,  ) 

DlEDEICH   WlLLEKS,  JK.,  f 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  333 

(APPENDIX,  NO.  5.) 

INVITATION  CIRCULAR. 

1779.       "HONOR  TO  THE  BRAVE."      1879. 

SENECA    COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 
CELEBRATION  OF  GENERAL  SULLIVAN'S  CAMPAIGN, 

WATERLOO,     WEDNESDAY,    SEPTEMBER   3D,   1879. 

Dear  Sir; 

You  are  respectfully  invited  to  be  present  at 
the  Centennial  Celebration  of  General  Sullivan's  Cam- 
paign against  the  Indians  of  Western  New  York,  and  his 
march  across  the  territory  of  Seneca  County  in  1779,  to 
be  held  at  Waterloo,  on  Wednesday,  September  3rd,  1879, 
at  11  o'  clock  A.  M.  ,  at  which  it  is  proposed  to  commemorate 
the  patriotic  services  of  the  brave  men  of  the  Revolution 
who  served  in  this  Campaign,  many  of  whom  afterwards 
became  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Seneca  County. 

We  have  the  honor  <  o  be, 

Yours  very  truly, 

DIEDRICH  WILLERS,  JR.     1      Committee 
WILLIAM  H.  BURTON,  on 

HARRISON  CHAMBELAIN,      J     Invitations. 

To.. 


334  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 


(APPENDIX,  NO  6.) 

INVITATION   CIRCULAK   OF  WATERLOO 

RE-UNION. 

1779.  SULLIVAN  CENTENNIAL.  1879. 

1829.       WATERLOO  RE-UNION.       1879. 

WEDNESDAY,  SEPT.  3rd,  1879. 


On  Wednesday,  the  third  day  of  September  next,  at 
Waterloo,  the  citizens  of  Seneca  county  will  celebrate  with 
Processions,  Orations,  Banquetings  and  Illuminations,  the 
one  hundredth  anniversary  of  Major- General  John  Sulli- 
van's march  through  Seneca  county,  September,  1779,  in 
his  campaign  against  the  Six  JN  ations.  On  his  route,  he 
destroyed  several  Indian  towns  located  within  the  pres- 
ent limits  of  Seneca  county,  and,  as  an  ultimate  result  of 
his  military  operations,  opened  up  for  rapid  occupation 
the  rich  and  fertile  country  we  now  possess. 

Upon  the  occasion  of  this  Celebration,  the  citizens  of 
Waterloo  propose  to  complete,  with  appropriate  cere- 
monies, the  erection  on  their  public  square,  of  a  Monu- 
ment, commemorative  of  the  destruction,  September  8th, 
1779,  by  Colonel  John  Harper,  under  orders  of  General 
Sullivan,  of  the  Indian  town  of  Skoi-yase,  the  site  of 
which  is  now  occupied  by  the  village  of  Waterloo. 

The  present  year  is  also  the  Semi-Centennialof  the  for- 
mation of  the  town  erected  upon  the  division  of  the  old 
town  of  Junius,  March  26th,  1829 ;  and  the  occasion  is 


OF  SULLIVAN'  s  EXPEDITION.  335 

deemed  an  appropriate  one  for  a  Re-union  of  its  former 
residents. 

You  are  cordially  invited  to  be  present  at  this  Celebra- 
tion and  Re-union,  the  instance  and  scope  of  which  are 
above  indicated,  to  meet  old  friends  and  renew  old  friend- 
ships  ;  to  live  your  school  days  o'er  again  ;  to  greet  faces 
almost  forgotten  ;  to  give  one  day  to  Waterloo  and  "Auld 
Lang  Syne." 

We  hope  to  make  the  day  joyous  and  memorable  ;  and 
promising  you  a  hearty  welcome,  we  sincerely  bid  you 
come.  In  behalf  of  the  town,  Yours, 

S.  G.  HADLEY,  S.  H.  GRIDLBY, 

BENJ.  BACON,  GIDEON  BOWDISH, 

A.  L.  CHILDS,  JAMES  JOYES, 

A.  H.  TERWILLIGER,  M.  D.  MERCER, 

F.  H.  FURNISS,  J.  E.  RICHARDSON. 

On  receipt  of  this,  you  are  requested  to  extend  the  in- 
vitation to  other  old  residents  of  Waterloo.  Replies  may 
be  addressed  to  S.  R.  WELLES,  Waterloo,  N.  Y. 


336  SENECA   COUNTY   CENTENNIAL 


(APPENDIX,  NO.  7.) 


THE  ORDER  OF  THE  GRAND  MARSHAL. 

HEADQUARTERS,    GRAND   MARSHAL. 

WATERLOO,  N.  Y.,  Aug.  27th,  1879. 
The  order  of  march   for  the  parade  in  honor   of  the 
Sullivan  Centennial  at  this  place,  on  the  3rd  of  Septem- 
ber, will  be  as  follows  : 


(The  detail  of  the  composition  of  the  eleven  divisions 
of  the  procession,  is  omitted,  the  same  appearing,  sub- 
stantially as  in  this  order,  at  page  68  hereof.) 

PLACES  OF   RENDEZVOUS. 

The  First  Division  will  form  on  Main  street,  the  right  resting  at  the 
intersection  of  Seneca. 

The  Second  Division  will  form  on  Stark  street,  and  the  west  side  ot 
the  Park,  the  right  resting  on  Main. 

The  Third  Division  will  form  on  Reed  Street,  the  right  resting  on  Main. 

The  Fourth  Division  will  form  on  West  street,  the  right  resting  on 
Main. 

The  Fifth  Division  will  form  on  Walnut  street,  north  of  Main,  the 
right  resting  on  Main. 

The  Sixth  and  Seventh  Divisions  will  form  on  Walnut  street,  south 
of  Main,  the  right  resting  on  Main. 

The  Eighth  Division  will  form  on  Seneca  street,  north  of  Main,  the 
right  resting  on  Main, 

The  Ninth  Division  will  form  on  Seneca  street,  south  of  Main,  the 
right  resting  on  Main. 

The  Tenth  Division  will  form  on  Locust  street,  the  right  resting  on 
Main. 

The  Eleventh  Division  will  form  on  Oak  street,  the  right  resting  on 
Main. 


or  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  337 

ORDER  OF  MARCH, 

At  10  o'clock.  A.  M.,  a  signal  gun  will  be  fired  when  the  different 
Divisions  will  come  to  attention.  A  second  signal  will  be  fired  at  10:30 
A.  M.  ,  when  the  first  Division  will  march  and  be  followed  by  all  except 
the  Second  Division,  each  Division  ccmmencing  to  march  as  soon  as  the 
Division  preceding  it  shall  have  cleared  its  right. 

When  the  First  Division  shall  have  cleared  the  Park,  the  remainder 
of  the  column  will  halt  until  the  Second  Division  shall  have  filed  into 
place,  and  ths  entire  column  will  then  march  through  Main,  to  Inslee, 
to  Williams,  to  Virginia,  to  North,  to  Swift  streets,  to  Maple  Grove  Fair 
Grounds. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  Fair  Grounds  the  First  Division  will  move  to  the 
left  upon  the  track,  directly  to  the  grand  stand.  Colonel  Storke  will 
immediately  deploy  his  regiment  in  front  of  the  Speakers'  stand.  Cap- 
tain Birchmeyer  will  station  his  JBatterv  in  the  open  space  on  the  west 
side  of  the  giand  stand,  the  Yates  Dragoons  will  form  upon  the  east 
side  and  the  Battalions  of  mounted  men  will  form  upon  the  prolonga- 
tion of  this  line,  as  they  successively  arrive. 

The  Knights  of  Pytbias  and  Grand  Army  will  form  line  immediate- 
ly in  rear  of  the  49th  Regiment. 

The  remainder  of  the  column  will  move  directly  across  the  grounds 
to  tbe  east  side  where  it  will  countermarch  and  be  formed  in  lines  ex- 
tending across  the  centre  of  the  grounds,  where  it  must  remain  until 
the  close  of  the  ceremonies  upon  the  grand  stand. 

Upon  leaving  the  Fair  Grounds, the  same  order  of  column  will  be  ob- 
served as  upon  entering,  except  that  the  Battalions  of  mounted  men 
will  follow  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  column  will  march 
through  Swift  to  Elisha,  to  Clark,  to  Main,  to  the  Trustees'  Rooms, 
wnere  tbe  49th  Regiment  will  form  in  open  column,  the  remainder  of  the 
Division  passing  through,  the  49th  saluting,  the  column  continuing  its 
march  to  the  Park  where  the  parade  will  be  dismissed. 

By  order  of 

GEORftE  M.  GniON, 

Grand  Marshal. 


338  SENECA   COUNTY    CENTENNIAL 


(APPENDIX,  NO.  8.) 


PROGRAMME  OF  EXERCISES  AT  MAPLE  GROVE 
FAIR  GROUNDS,   SEPTEMBER  3d,  1879. 

1.  Prayer  by  Rev.  Dr.  S.  H.  Gridley,  of  Waterloo. 

2.  Address  of  Welcome  by  Mf.  John  Reamer, — Presi- 
dent of  the  Village  of  Waterloo. 

3.  Introductory  Address  by  Hon.  Josiah  T.  Miller,— 
President  of  the  Day. 

4.  Music  by  Band. 

5.  Oration  by  Hon.  William  Dorsheimer, — Lieutenant 
Governor  of  New  York. 

6.  Chorus,   "Centennial  Ode"  by  three  hundred  voices, 
accompanied  with  music  by  the    Consolidated    Bands 
present. 

7.  Historical  Address,  by  Rev.  David  Craft,  of  Wyalu- 
sing,  Bradford  County,  Pennsylvania. 

8.  Music  by  Band. 

9.  Poem  by  Rev.   Dwight  Williams,  of  Trumansburg, 
New  York. 

10.  Chorus  "Old  Hundred,"   with  accompaniment  by 
Consolidated  Bands. 

11.  Benediction,  by  Rev.  Pulaski  E.  Smith,  of  Tyre. 


OF   SULLIVAN'S   EXPEDITION.  339 


(APPENDIX,  No.  9.) 

SPECIAL  PROGRAMME  OF  THE  TOWN  OF 
SENECA  FALLS. 

SULLIVAN  CENTENNIAL   CLEEBRATION. 

The  committee  of  the  town  of  Seneca  Falls  have  made 
arrangements  for  the  town  to  unite  in  the  SuDivan  Cen- 
tennial Celebration  at  Waterloo,  on  the  third  of  Septem- 
ber. It  is  hoped  that  our  citizens  generally  will  take  an 
active  interest  in  the  Celebration  in  a  manner  that  shall 
creditably  represent  the  town.  The  commissary  will  be 
on  the  plan  of  a  basket  picnic,  bur  the  invited  guests  of 
the  town  will  be  furnished  with  dinner.  It  is  particularly 
requested  by  the  committee  that  citizens  will  furnish  sup- 
plies. Those  willing  to  do  so,  and  all  others  wishing  to 
send  provisions  for  their  own  use,  can  send  the  same  (la- 
belled with  their  names)  to  the  store  of  Messrs  Bull  and 
Addison,  on  Fall  street.  The  committee  will  furnish  trans- 
portation to  the  town  tent  on  the  Fair  Grounds,  where 
they  will  be  in  charge  of  a  competent  person  selected  for 
that  purpose,  and  where  those  sending  baskets  can  call 
for  them. 

The  following  will  be  the  order  of  march,  audit  is  hoped 
that  all  designing  to  take  part  in  the  exercises,  and  all 
the  different  organizations,  will  report  promptly  and  thus 
avoid  delay,  as  it  is  intended  to  move  precisely  at  the 
time  specified  : 

Town  Marshals— Colonel  James  H.  McDonald,  J.  N. 
Hammond. 

Seneca  Falls  Cornet  band. 

22. 


340  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

Centennial  committee — C.  L.  Hoskins,  Hon.  G.Wilcox- 

en,  William  Walker,  D.  B.  Lnm,  Edwin  W.  Bull,  Edward 
Mynderse. 

Harrison  Chamberlain,  member  of  the  County  Execu- 
tive 'Committee. 

President  of  the  village. 

Town  and  village  officers. 

Veterans  of  1812,  in  carriages. 

Pioneer  settlers  of  the  town,  in  carriages. 

Thirteen  young  ladies  in  white,  representing  the  thir- 
teen original  states. 

Cross  Post  Number  78.  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
James  Dillon,  commander. 

Grand  Army  band. 

Battalion  of  one  hundred  mounted  men  under  command 
of  Major  J.  Marshall  Guion,  Junior  Vice-Commander, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Department  of  New  York, 
escorted  by  a  detachment  of  the  Yates  Dragoons  of  Syr- 
acuse, Major  Auer  commanding. 

Seneca  Grange,  Patrons  of  Husbandry. 

Delegations  from  the  different  manufacturing  establish- 
ments, representing  the  industries  of  the  town. 

Delegations  from  the  different  civic  organizations. 

Citizens  in  carriages. 

The  line  will  form  on  Cayuga  street,  the  right  resting 
on  Fall  street,  at  8:30  A.  M.,  and  will  move  promptly  at 
9  o'clock. 

G.  WILCOXEN,  C.  L.  HOSKINS, 

Secretary.  Chairman,  Town  Coin. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION. 


341 


(APPENDIX  No.  10.) 


TRUSTEES  OF  THE   WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND 
HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

The  names  of  the  first  Board  of  twelve  trustees  of 
this  Society,  under  its  present  charter,  appear  at  page 
thirteen  hereof.  This  Board  was  re-elected  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Society,  held  in  March,  1877,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  Hon.  Sterling  G.  Hadley  and  Geo.  H.  Hul- 
bert,  took  the  places  of  Hon.  James  McLean,  deceased, 
and  George  Haigh,  who  declined  a  re-election. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  held  March 
28th,  1877,  the  Board  was  divided  by  lot,  into  three  classes 
of  four  each,  the  first  class  to  serve  three  years,  the  sec- 
ond class  to  serve  two  years,  and  the  third  class  to  serve 
one  year,  as  follows: 


DANIEL  S.  KKNDIG, 


THOMAS  A.  MC!NTYRE, 


THOMAS  FATZINGER, 


FIRST  CLASS. 

WALTER  QUINBY, 
HORACE  F.  GUSTIN. 

SECOND  CLASS. 

FRED  H.  FURNISS, 
S.  G.  HADLEY, 

THIRD  CLASS. 

SAMUEL  H.  GRIDLEY, 
JAMES  C.  HALLSTED, 


CHARLES  D.  MORGAN, 


GEORGE  H.  HULBERT. 


SAMUEL  R.  WELLES, 


At  the  annual  election  held  in  1878, Messrs. Thomas  Fat- 
finger,  Welles,  Gridley  and  Hallsted  were  re-elected  for 


342  SENECA  COUNTY  CENTENNIAL 

a  full  term  of  three  years,  and  at  a  special  election  held 
June  6th,  1878,  Edward  Fatzinger  was  elected  to  fill  the 
unexpired  term  of  Thomas  Fatzinger,  deceased. 

At  the  annual  election  in  1879,  Messrs.  Mclntyre,  Fur- 
niss  and  Hadley  were  re-elected,  and  Myndert  D.  Mercer, 
in  place  of  Greorge  H.  Hulbert,  declined. 

At  the  election  held  in  1880,  Messrs.  Quinby,  Kendig 
and  Grustin  were  re-elected,  with  Leonard  Story  in  place 
of  Charles  D.  Morgan,  declined. 


OF  SULLIVAN'S  EXPEDITION.  343 


(APPENDIX  No.  11.) 


OFFICERS  OF  THE   WATERLOO  LIBRARY  AND 
HISTORICAL  SOCIETY  FOR  1880. 

PRESIDENT— Hon.  Sterling  G.  Hadley, 
VICE-PRESIDENT— Walter  Quinby, 
SECRETARY-  S.  R.  Welles. 
TREASURER — Edward  Fatzinger. 
HISTORIAN — Rev,  Samuel  H.  Gfridley,  D.  D. 

TRUSTEES— Edward  Fatzinger,  S.  R.  Welles,  Samu  el  H. 
Gridley,  James  C.  Hallsted,  Thomas  A.  Mdntyre,FredH. 
Furniss,  Sterling  G.  Hadley,M.  D.  Mercer, Leonard  Story, 
Walter  Quinby,  Horace  F.  Gustin,  Daniel  S.  Kendig. 

LIBRARIAN — Colonel  H.  F.  Gustin, 
ASS'T  LIBRARIAN— O.  V.  Lytle. 

The  new  Library  building  is  located  on  the  corner  of 
Williams  and  Church  streets. 


ERRATA. 

Page  43,  line  24  from  top,  for  "Henry  F.  Noyes,"  read 
"Henry  T.  Noyes." 

Page  47,  line  27  from  top,  for  "in  the  Appendix,"  read 
"at  page  167,  etc.,  hereof." 

Page  179,  line  28  from  top,  for  "Port  Stanwix,"  read 
"Fort  Stanwix." 

Page  224,  line  23  from  top,  before  the  words  "the  Earl 
of  Dunmore,"  insert  the  word  "Murray." 

Page  226,  line  23  from  top,  insert  the  word  "to"  after 
the  word  "race." 

Page  241,  line  23  from  top,  for  "W.  A.  Swaby  L.  La- 
tham," read  "W.  A.  Swaby  Latham." 

Page  242,  line  18  from  top,  for  "Searles  Berger,"  read 
"Charles  Berger." 

Page  274,  line  11,  the  "^otes"  appsaring  on  pages  274, 
275,  276  and  part  of  page  277,  should  have  formed  a  part 
of  the  article  from  the  Seneca  County  Courier,  and  should 
have  appeared  after  line  26  at  ,page  269. 

Page  319,  line  30  from  top,  transpose  word  "to"  before 
k 'miles,"  to  appear  between  the  words  "land"  and  "two.'' 


INDEX. 


Address  of  Bodine,PeterV.N  202. 

Childs,  A.  L,  Hon.  233. 

Craft,  David  Rev.,  90. 

"•       Dorsheimer,Wm.Hon. 

79. 

Gross.  L  J.  Rev.,  208. 
"        Hall, Ben jamin  F. Hon. 

221,  237. 

"        Halsev  Lewis  Rev.  193 
Hyde~W.  L   Rev,,  205 
Jacks,  J  W.  Rev.,  214 
".       Lum,  David  B.,  228. 
"        Mclntosb,  Samuel,197 
Manning,  P.  L  Col.  218 
Miller,  J.  T.  Hon.  74. 
"        Reamer,  John,  73 
Strong,  E  F.,  212. 
VanD-mark,  Wm.  W. 
Hon..  200 

Welles,  S.  R.  Dr.  299. 
"        Wilcoxen, Gilbert  Hon. 

209. 
"        Willers,Diedrich.Rev. 

230. 

Adair,  Eva  Miss,  245. 
Alleman,  Andrew  J..  Dr.  38. 
A)Ien,  John  E  .  244  248,  253.261 
Allen,  Martin  L  .  38.  39. 
Allen,  Walter  H.,  49. 
Almy,  Ira.  of  Covert,  44,  69.194. 
Almy.Ira  Capt.,  of  Seneea Falls, 

249. 
Amory,   Thomas  C,  Hon.   191 

326. 

Ancient  Carriage,  70. 
Anderson,  John,  49. 
Andrews.  Wm.,  53,  248. 
Angel,  Benjamin  F.  Hon.  176. 


Anthony,  Daniel  D.  248. 
Anthony,  Samuel  N,  242. 
Appendix,  297, 

Aiuburnian,  Evening,  242,  279. 
Auburn  News,  242,  296. 
Aurora,  Village  of,  55,  66, 151. 
Auer.  Michael  Capt.,  72,  242,287, 

288,  340. 

Bacon,  Qenj.  36,38,39.49,335. 
Bacon.  Francis,  11,  25,  44,56,244, 

260. 

Bacon,  Fred,  49. 
Bacon,  Nora  W.  Miss,  244. 
Baer,  John,  322. 
Baker.  Florence  Miss,  245. 
Ballard,  Horatio  Hon.  192. 
Barber,  C.  F.,  242. 
Barrett,  Mary  Miss,  245. 
Barrett,  Wm.,  49. 
Barry.  John,  38. 
Bartlett,  Andrew  J.  41.  45,  69. 
Bartlett,  A.  Annie  Miss,  244. 
Bartlett,  E.  Seeley,  38,  39,  44,  53, 

54,  208,  247. 

Bascom,  Ansel  Hon.  191,  212. 
Baster.  Robert,  44,  53.  67. 
Bayard.  Stephen  N.  306,  319. 
Beach,  Lewis,  243,  244. 
Beadle,  or  Bedell,  Thos.  201,  230. 
Bear,  Ephraim,  323. 
Bear.  Samuel,  230,  306,  320,  321, 

322. 

Becker,  Chauncey  L.  71. 
Becker,  Norman  H.  11. 
Belden.  J.  M.,  Capt.  58,  287. 
Belles,  I^aac,  49. 
Belles,  Uriel  D.  48,  53,  71. 
Benham,  Nathaniel,  241. 


348 


INDEX. 


Bennettf  James,  230, 

Berger,  Charles,  242,  345. 

Berry,  Daniel,  44. 

Birch  meyer,  Paul  Capt.   58,  69, 

242.  257,  262,  287,  288,  3rf7. 
Bird,  L.  P.  44. 
Birdsall,  Samuel  Hon.  191. 
Bishop,  Henry,  72. 
Bishop,  R.  M,  Gov.(Ohio,)  191. 
Bissell,  D.  H,  Dr.  192. 
Bliss,  John  B.  44. 
Boardman,  Benajah,  230. 
Bodine,  Isaac  N.  54. 
Bodine,Peter,V.N.38,39,44,202. 
Bogart,  Wm.  H.  Hon.  27, 17,  55, 

220,  221,  242,  273. 
Bonnell,  Henry  S.  49. 
Bonnell,  W.  R.  49. 
Booram,  Homer,  71,  194. 
Booth,  John  W.  49. 
Boots.  Benjamin,  44. 
Bostwick,  Daniel  W.  17. 
Boughton,  J.  S.  44,  49. 
Bowdisb,  Gideon.   17,  36,  38.  39, 

49,  53.  230.  247.  306,  335, 
Bowdisb,  G.  Mrs.  54.    • 
Boyd,  Thomas  Lieut.  139. 
Bradley,  Geo.  B.  Hon.  192. 
Branch,  W.  B,  25,  44. 
Brant,  Joseph,  93,   95,   121,  124, 

131,  137,  141,  225. 
Brass  Bands,  258,  262,  285. 
Brehm,  Fred  C.  60. 
Briden becker,  A.  M.  242. 
Bridgman,  Geo.  D.  A.  242. 
Briggs,  James  A.  Hon.  192. 
Brokaw.  Grace  Miss,  244. 
Brooks,  Erastus  Hon.  169. 
Brownell,  Annie  Miss,  245. 
Brownell,  Annie  E.  Miss,  245. 
Brownell,  Lorenzo,  49. 
Brownell,  Maria  Miss,  245. 
Bryant,  Daniel  H.  243. 
Bull,  E.  W.  38,  39,  339,  340. 
Burch,  M.  C.  Hon.  192. 
Burr,  Jennie  Miss,  53. 
Burrall,  Jeanie  D.  Miss,  244. 
Burrall,  W.  D.  44. 
Burroughs,  Daniel  C.  38, 
Burroughs,  Ella  Miss,  246. 
Burroughs,  Isaac  D.  71, 
Burroughs,  Thomas,  217. 
Burton,  E.  L.  Hon.,  15,  187. 
Burton,  E.  V.  44. 


Burton,  John,  191. 

Burton,  Wm.  H.   11,  43,  45,  261, 

333 
Butler,  John  Col.  93,  94.121,126, 

128,  131,  137. 
Butler,  Wm.  Col.  65,103,148,151, 

157,  304. 

Butler,  W.  A.  Maj.  58,  69,287. 
Buys.  Jacob,  216. 
Cadmus,  Stephen,  49. 
Camp,  M.  M.  44. 
:Canal  Boats,  travel  by,  66. 
Canandaigua  Journal,   242,  295. 
Canoga  Brass  Band,  71,  253,  259, 

262,  286. 
Canoga,   Indian  Village,  65,  153, 

197   319 

Carman  &  Allen,  49.  258.  276. 
Carman,  Solomon,  11,  44,  48,  49, 

257. 

Carson,  J.  C.  Dr.  17. 
Carter,  Benj  S.  243. 
Casterlin,  John  A.  44,  67.  70,  71, 

249. 

Caton,  John  Rev.,  208.  230. 
Cayuga  Lake,  description  of,  307. 
Centennial  Celebration : 

Circulars  relating 
to,  37,  240,  328, 
333,  334. 

Exercises  at,  73. 
History  of,  28.  33, 
Officers  ana  Com- 
mittees of,  38,  41, 
43,  44,  69. 
Programme    for, 
40,  42.    45.  56,  68, 
328,  336,  338. 
Chamberlain,  Frank  Gen.  192. 
IChamberhun,  Harrison,  41,43,45, 

69,333,  340. 

Chamberlain,  Jacob  P.  Hon. ,212, 
Chamberlain,  Mamie  Miss,  246. 
Chamberlin,  W.  R.  Col.  58,  242, 

285,  292. 
Chambers,  Polly  Mrs.  210.  230, 

243. 
Chaplains  at  Celebration,  43,  69, 

73   192  233 
Childs,  Albert  L.  Hon.  36,  38,  39, 
40,   42.  43,  58,  233,  255,  2H9, 
279,  283,  335. 
Childs,  Amherst,  17. 
Chonodote,  Indian  Village,  151. 


INDEX. 


349 


Church,  Sanford  E.  Hon.  168. 
Claffy,  Lawrence    26. 
Clark,  Abner  C.  44,  69,  241. 
Clark,  Augustus,  260. 
Clark,  Jesse  Hon.  191. 
Clark,  John  8.  Gen.   17.  25,  56 

133,  138,  155,  221,  242,  325. 
Clark.  Lulu  Miss,  244. 
Clark,  Myron  H.  Hon.  191. 
Clark,  Samuel  Hon.  186. 
Clark,  Wm.  B.  11,  44. 
Clemenson,  Carrie  Miss,  247. 
Clergy,  69,    221,    230,    (see  also 


jDean,  Juliet  Miss,  245. 
Dearborn,  Henry  Col.  56,  62,  65, 

102,  124,  125,  152.  156,  304. 
Dearborn,  H.  G.  R.  178. 
Decorations  at  Celebration.  44, 

55   60   64.  252,  258,    259,  260, 

266   270.  276. 
DeGarmo,  Ezra,  230. 
DeGarmo,  Peter,  230, 
Delafield,  John,  330. 
jDeMott,  James  Hon.  207. 
Denison,  F.  P.  Lieut  58,  287. 
Dennison.  R  Mrs.  275. 


Devens,  Charles  Hon.  191. 

DeWitt,  Richard  V.  192. 

Da  Witt,  Simeon  Hon.  315,  323. 


Chaplains.) 

Clifton  Springs  Press,  242.  295, 
Clinton  DeWitt,  Hon.  85.  115. 

Ciinton,  Geo.  Hon.  115.  317,  318.lDey>  Anthony,  212.  217.  230. 
Clinton,  James  Gen.  65.  102,  114  Dey.  Benjamin,    2 1 7.  230,  317. 

115,  117,  127,  181,  183.  D^y,  John  H.  217.  242. 

Cohorn,  description  of,  109.          Dillon,  James,  70.  340. 
Cole,  E.  P.  54,  73.  Disinger,  Daniel,  153. 

Collation    on   Celebration   Day jDonally,  George,  260. 

42.  193,  254.  271,  273.  288,  291  Dorsheimer,  Philip  Hon.  58.  2*7, 
Committees  of    Celebration,  38  (Dorsheimer.   William    Hon.  46, 

41   43   44   45  5§.  69-  79.  267.    272,  273,  275, 

Comstock.  A.  H.  43  278.  28°.  2»°,  338. 

Congdon,  Lyman  Dr.  242.  Doty,  Wm.  D'Orville  Rev.  242. 

Conkling.  Roscoe  Hon.  191  Doughty,  Julia  Miss.  245. 

Conley,  Celia  Miss,  245.  Dowers,  Theodore,  53. 

Conover,  Geo.  S    17.  42,  56,  314.1  Downs,  Abel,  212. 


Cook,  Calvin  W.  Mrs.  15. 
Cooley,  Bartlett  245. 
Cooper.  Oliver  C,  43,  277. 
Cosad,  David  Jr.  Hon.  242. 
Cosad,  Mary  Miss.  245. 
Cosad,  Myron  H.  53.  54. 
Covert,  C.  Coan,  38.  39,  44. 
Covert.    Town  of,   38,  39,  41.  44, 


Dubois,  Lewis  Col.    103.  124;  126. 
Dunlap,  Andrew,  206.  230,  306. 
Dunlap,  Wm.  206.  230,  306. 
Dunmore.  Earl  of,  Murray,  224, 

225,  345. 

Dunning,  Michael.  318. 
Dwight,  Charles  C.  Hou.  14. 
Eastman,  Herman  D.  54. 


193,  307.  Edwards,  George  W.  242. 

CowelJ,  Willard  G.  Capt.  248.       Elmendorf,   Joachim  Rev.    182, 
Cowing,  John  P.  212.  272. 

Cox,  Samuel  S.  Hon.  192  jElmiraor  Newtown,  battle  near, 

Craft,  David  Rev.  4,  34.   46,  69,  j        119,  127. 

lEmmett,  Florence  Miss,  246. 

jH&henour,  Wm.  247. 

i Esther,  Queen,  111,  130,  153. 

iEvarts,  Wm.  M.  Hon.  191. 


89,  223.  271,  278,  338. 
Crane,  Ezekiel,  230. 
Crane,  John  V.  88. 
Crocker,  J.  B.  Mrs.  288, 
Cross  Post,  G.  A.  R.  70.  340. 


i  Everett,  C.  Louise  Miss,  244. 


Danforth,  George  F.  Hon.  192.    [Executive  Committee,  40,  41,  45, 

Daniels,  George  B.  Hon.  212.  69. 

Darrow.  James  B.  16.  j  Exploration  of  Sullivan's  Route, 

Day,  John  W.  Dr.  43,  69.  25,  55. 

Dean,  Edward  of  Junius.  72.        jFairchild,  Caleb  Gen.   8,  11,  16, 

Dean,  Edward  of  Romulus,   154.  i        17,186. 


350 


IXDEX. 


Farrar,E.  O.  Maj.  58,  59,  69,  287. 
Fatzinger,  Edward,21,35,342,343. 


67.70,171,249,253,262,  329,  337. 
340. 


Fatzinger,  Frances  P.H,  Mrs.  19,  Grand  Stand  at  Fair  Grounds, 55, 


23,24. 

Fatzinger,  Jacob,  186. 
Fatzinger,  Thomas,  11,  12,  13,14, 

19  23,  24,  77,  310,  313,  341,  342. 
Fawsett,  George,  230,  306. 


64,  73. 
Granges,  Patrons  of  Husbandry, 

53,67,71,247,  253,  263,  274,  29~3, 

329, 
Green,  John,  230. 


Fayette.  To>vn  of,  38,39,41,44  67,  Grid  ley,  C.  C.  44. 

71,  197,  245,  263,  276,  293,  307.  Gridley.  S.  H.  Rer.3.8,9,13,16.17, 
Fifield,  Jesse  Dr.  191.  35,36,38,39.40,41,42,  43.  45,  61), 

Finton,  Carrie  A.  Miss,  244.  73.77,233  254,255  264,  280,  310, 

Fireworks  at  Celebration,44,239,         335,338.341,343. 

264,  279,  284,  295.  Griswold.Fraak  H.  Maj.242,  248. 

Fish  Carrier,  Indian  Chief,  315,  Gross,  L.  J.  Rev.  44,  208. 

317,  320.  Groveland  Ambuscade,  139,  144. 

Fisheries  at  Skoi-yase,  315,  323.JGuest8  at  Celebration,  43,  44,  46, 
Fisk,  James,  201.  47,  57,  69.  241. 

Forty-ninth  Regiment,  National  Guion.Geo. Murray  Gen. 43.57,68, 

Guard,  46.  68,  69,  248,262,293,          253,259,262,268  2tt8,88t>. 
Foster  E  W   Hon.  192.  Guion.  J.  Marshall  Maj  72,340. 

Fox,  Herman T.  70.  Guion,  J.  M.  Mrs.  275. 

Franklin,  Roswell,  144.  Gulick,  Samuel  S.  38,  39. 

French,  N.  H.  38,  39.  Gustm,  Horace  F.  Col.  8    9,  11, 

Furmss.Fred  H.ll, 13.17,25,41,56,'         13,  15.    16  25.  35,  50,  56,  255, 

335341343.  277,282,325,341,343. 

Gage  Franklin,  8.  Hadley,  Sterling  G.  Hon.  11.  12, 

Gaosevoort,  Peter  Col.  56,65,103,!         15,  36,  38.   39,  40,  41,  43,  77, 

124.  125,  145,  147,  148.  335,  341,  343. 

Gansevoort,  Stanwix,  178.  tlaigh,  George.  11.  13,  16,  341. 

Gardner,  R.  R.    Maj.  58,  69,  281,  f}aj,aes>  Israel  B-  38  53 

287  Hall  Ben  pi  mm  F.  Hon.  220,  22!, 

Gay  lord    J.  B.  70  236,  281,  283. 

Genesee  Towns,  Destruction  of,  Hallsted.  James  C.  11,  13.  35  49, 
142    144  258.  341-  ?43. 

Geneva,  Village  of,  66,67,70,133,  Hah-ey,  Lewis  Rev.  38,    39,    40, 


307. 

Gibbs,  Asgill,  185. 
Gibbs,  Geo.  C.  188. 
Gibbs,  Wm.  H.  242. 
Giddings,  Edward,  241. 
Gilmour,  Neil  Hon.  192. 
Gobeen,  C.  A.  242. 
Golder,  Etta  Miss.  245. 
Goodell,  James,  39. 
Goodman,  Lambert,  44. 
Gordon  Granger  Post,  G.  A,  R. 

70,  262. 


43,  44,  56,   193. 
Halsey,  Silas   Hon.  206  230,  306. 
Hammond,  J.  N   72,  339. 
tlampton,  C.  J,  38.  39.  45. 
Hand,  Edward  Gen.  65,  102,  106, 

109,  112,    113,    116,    117,   119, 

121,  126,  130,  156. 

Hardenbergh,  Abraham, 315,  316, 
Harden bergh, John  L.  Col.  J77. 
Harper,  John  Col  27,55,56,65,103. 

133,304,334. 

Harpst,  Harriet  Mrs,  230,  243. 
Harris,  J.  S.  38 


Gorham,  Jabez,  306. 

Goulds  Manufactur'g  Company,  Havens,  E.  W.  Mrs   288. 

72,  253,  263,  285,  .Hawley,  Charles  Rev.  177. 

Grand  Army  Band.  Seneca  Falls,  Hawley,  Charles  A.  43. 

70,253,258,262,267.286.340,          Hawley,  J.  Dean  Gpn.  58,  59.  69, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,55,         219,  253,  257,  262   287,  292. 


INDEX. 


351 


Hicks,  Edwin  Hon.  15,  242. 
Hinkley,  Joshua  Mrs.  54. 
Hinman  J.    H.  Col.  58,  69,287. 


Jemison,  Mary,  158. 
Jennie  Van,  Communication  of, 
51. 


Historian  at  Celebration,  42,  46,! Jerome,  W.  S.,  242. 

Jimeson,  Hugh,  206. 


69,  89. 
Historians,  Towns  of,  42,  44,  329, 

330. 
Historical   Address  of  Rev.   D 

Craft,  90. 

Historical  Collection,  at  Water- 
loo, 22 

Hobart  College,  19,  52. 
Hoffman,  John  T.  Hon.  191. 
Hogan,  Michael  H.  Capt.    248. 
Holenbeck.  Andrew  S.  43,  69 
Hopkins,  H.  G.  Dr.  17. 
Hornellsvilie  Times.  296. 
Horton,  Orlo  Mat    38.  39,  41,  44. 

194. 
Hoskins,  Charles    L.    19,  38,  39, 

44,  69,  340 

Hosier,  Michael,  243. 
Hough,  Franklin  B.  Dr.    192. 
Hough,  Martin,  49. 
Howell,  Geo.  R  ,  192. 
Hoyt.  Henry   M.    Gov.,    (Penn.) 

191. 

Hubbard.  Charles  M  25,  56. 
Huff,  Isaac  L  69. 
Hulbert,  Geo.  H.  341,  342. 


Hulbert.  Rebecca,  Mrs.  8,  17,  21 
Hunt,  Richard  P.  17,  23. 
Hunt,  Wm.  Mil,  247. 
Hyde,  W.  L.  Prof.,  88,  44,  205. 
Ide,  Belle  Mi*s.  246, 
Illick,  Adam  F  49,  277. 
Illuminations,  Night  of  Celebra 

tion,  239,  258,  269,  284. 
Indians,  Strength  of,  92,  94,  127. 
Indian  Towns  destroyed,   Sum 

mary  of,  160. 
Indian  Wigwam  at  J.  B.  Tubbs. 

63. 

Inman,  John  P.  70, 
Invitation  Circulars,  333  334. 
Invitation  Committees,  43.  46,47. 
Ireland,  Wm.,  48. 
Ircquois  Indian*, 91,  92.  93,  96,98, 

99.  114,  158,  220,  221. 
Ivers,  James,  36. 
Jacacks.  Geo.  W.,  73. 
Jackp,  J.  W.  Rev..  44,  214. 
Jacoby,  Samuel,  72. 
James,  William,  323. 


Johnson,  Converse  G.  49. 
Johnson,  Guy,  Col.  93. 
Johnson,  John,  Sir,  94,  223. 
Johnson,  Wm.  Sir,  93,  135, 
Johnson.  Wm.  Col.  212. 
Jones,  Henry  V.  L.  38,  41,  45,  69. 
Jones,  Horatio.  17. 
Jones,  Morven  M.  Maj.  179. 
Jones,  Pomeroy  Hon.  172. 
Joyes.  James,36,  38,  43,  273,  278, 

283,  835. 

Judge,  Robert  P.  Capt.  249. 
Junius  Martial  Band,  71,  253,  259, 

262,  286. 
Junius,  Townof,38,  39,  41,  45,  67, 

71,  200,  245,  253,  307,  318,334. 

Kanawaholla,  Indian  village,  129, 

160. 

Keeler,  Hattie  Miss,  245. 
Kecdaia,  Indian  village,  65,  132, 

161,  303,  307. 
Kendig,  Anna  Miss,  244. 
Kendig,  Daniel  S.  Hon.  8,    9,  11. 

13,  16,  35,  45,  69.  243,  341,  343, 
Kendig,  John  L  241. 
Kendig,  Richard  P.  11,  275, 
Kendig  &  Story,  261.      . 
Kennard,  Will  R.  43. 
Kern,  Daniel,  16. 
Kernan,  Francis  Hon.  191. 
Key,  David  M.  Hon,  191. 
Kidd,  Henry,  49. 
Kirkland.  Sam'l.  Rev.  93,155, 231, 
Kimball,  Maude  L.  Miss,  244. 
King  John  G.  38,  39,  44.  69. 
King,  Lizzie  Miss,  245. 
Kinne,  Elijah,  206,  306. 
Kipp,  John,  322. 
Kirby,  Wm.  M.  248. 
Kneeland,  M.  D.  Rev.  260. 
Knox,  Charles  A.  44. 
Knox,  C.  A.  Mrs.  257. 
Knox,  John  Hon.  191. 
Knox,  Rebecca  G.  Mrs.  15,  261. 
Kuney,  Abbie  Miss,  246. 
Ladies,  action  of,  54,  66, 193,  220, 

271. 
Ladies  in  white,    see    "Young 

Ladies  in  white." 


24. 


352 


INDEX. 


Malt  House,    reception  at,   241, 

255,  264,  269.  274,  292,  295. 
Manning,  Fred  L.  Col.  45.  218. 


LaFayette,de  Marquis,  70,  198.  327. 

Lambert.  L.  A.  Rev.  15,  43. 

Laney,  Marion  M.  Miss,  244, 

Lansing,  Abraham  Hon.  192, 

Latham,  W.  A.  Swaby,  241.  345, 'Manning,  John  Y,  Col.  243. 

Leavenworth,  Elias  W.  Hon,  192,  Mansion,  the,at  Waterloo,  309. 

Lee,  N.  P.  191.  j March,  order  of,  at  celebration, 

Leisenring  Dun1!.  Rev.  192.  56,  68,  33G. 

Lessee  Party  at  Geneva,  316.       Marshall,  Geo.  K.  48. 

Letchworth,  Wm  P.  Hon.  192.     'Marshall,  Henry.  43. 

Letters  from  invited  guests,  167,  Marshall,  O.  H.  175. 


191. 

Lewis,  Gertie  Miss,  245. 
Lewis  L.  G.  Mrs.  53. 
Library  at  Waterloo,    12,  13,  14, 

15,  310,  313. 

Linn,  John  B.  Hon.  192. 
Livingston,  R.  A.  53, 
Local  committees,  38,  41,  43,  44. 
Lodi,  Town  of,  38,  39,  41,  44,  202, 

3U7. 
Logan,  Indian  chief,  17,  163,  220, 

225. 
Log  Cabin.48,  50,  51,  63,  243,  252, 

254,  277,  282,  293. 

Loring,  Caleb  Dr.  191. 
Loring,  JohnK.  Maj  43  69. 
Lossing, Benson  J.  171,  272. 
Lott,  Peter  Hon.  38. 
Loveridge.  O.  P.  25,  44. 
Lum.  D.  B.    38,  39,    44,  220,   228, 

245,  264,  275,  340. 
Lytle,  O.  V.  343. 
McCartm,  John  Capt.  248. 
McClellan,     Geo.   B.   Governor, 

(New  Jersey)  191. 


Marshals  at  celebration,   43,  56, 
68,  69. 

Martindale,  'j,  H,  Gen.,  220,  292. 

Matthews,  Jabez,  243 

Maxwell,  Wm.  Gen.,  65, 101,  110, 

112,  117.  118,  122,  131. 
Maynard,  John  Hou.,  191. 
Maynard,  Orville,  70,  201, 
Mead's  Braes  band.   70,  253,  258, 

262,  286. 

Medden,  Jessie  Miss,  245. 
Mercer,  Jane  M.  Miss.  244. 
Mercer   Myndert  D.   41,  43,  44, 

58,    267,    273,     287,    292,    385, 

342,  343. 

Mercer,  W.  L.  44,  241. 
Mickley,  Rena  Miss,  245. 
Military  at  Celebration,   43,  45, 

46,  58,  68,  69,  72,  248. 
Military    Tract.    Allotment  of, 

318  319. 
Miller,  Henry  8.  38,  39. 
Miller,  Josiah  T.  Hon.  43,  69,  74, 

193.  259,  271.  281,  290.  338. 
Miller  Lodowick,  323. 


McDonald.    James  H.   Col.    72,  Miller  Richard.  241. 

339.  jMonroe,  John  38,  39. 

MacDougaU,  C.  D.  Hon.  192.        .Montour,    Catharine,     130,    135, 
Mclntosh,  John  Mrs.  242.  162. 

Mclntosh,  Samuel,  38,  44,  69,  197,  SMonument  at  Skoi-yase,   25,  47, 
Mclntyre,  Margaret  F.  Miss,  244,1        55,  233.  279,  283,  291. 
Mclntyre,  Mary  A.  Miss,  244.      |  Moody,  Joseph,  201. 
Mclntyre  Thos.  A.  11,  13,  35,  341,  j  Moore,  Michael,  69. 

343.  i  Mora  via  Cornet  Band,  258.285. 


McKinstry,  John,  316,  320. 
McKnight,  James,  306. 
McLean,  James  Hon.  11,   13,  15, 

19,  341. 

McLean,  John,  321. 
McMaster,  Guy  H.  Hon.  242,  276, 
McNames,  A.  W,  Dr.  72. 
McQuade,  James  Gen.  171. 
Magazine  of  American  History, 


Morgan,  Charles  D.  8.  9,  11,  13, 
17,  20,  35,  38,  39,  43,  260,  341, 
342. 

Morgan,  C.  R.  &  Co.,  260. 

Morgan,  Lewis  H.  Hon.,  314. 

Morrin,  Wm.  Rev  ,  242. 

Mosher,  Isaac,  8,  21. 

Mounted  Men  at  Celebration,  47, 
67,  71,  72,  253,  263,337. 


INDEX. 


353 


Mundy,  S.  B.  53. 

Murray,  Earl  of  Dunmore,  224, 

225,  345. 

Murray,  John  B.  Gen.,  43,  69. 
Music  at  Celebration,   44,  69,  70. 

71.  72,  192,  253.  258,  262,  286 

338. 

Mynderse,  Edward,  38,  340. 
Mynderse.  Wilhelmus,  Col.,  184, 

191, 212,  230 
National  Guard  Troops,    46,  68, 

69,  248. 

New  Hampshire  Brigade,  101. 
New  Hudson,  now  Waterloo  Vil- 
lage, 309, 

New  Jersey  Brigade,  101, 
New  York  Brigade,  102 
Newspaper  press,  43,  45,  56  220, 

221,  242,  251,  255,  274,  283. 
Newtown  or  Elmira,  battle  near, 

119,  127,  131,  162,  303- 
Nichols  &  Brown,  24. 
Noyes,  Henry  T.  Col,  43.  345. 
Noyes    Guards,     Seneca    Falls, 

'  267,  274. 

Nugent,  Edward,  69. 
Odd  Fellows,  70.  253.  262,  329. 
Ogden,  Dariuo  A.  Hon.,  242. 
O'Gorman,  Richard  Hon.,  170. 
Ontario  Encampment,   Odd  Fel- 
lows, 70,  253,  262. 
Opdyke,  Fannie  Miss,  246. 
Orator  at  Celebration,  43, 46,  69, 

79. 
O'Sullivan,   Rev.    John  E.,  220, 

221,  242. 

Ovid  Independent.  43,  277. 
Ovid,    Town   of,    38,  41,  44,  205, 

307. 

Parker,  Stephen  H.  242. 
Par&hall,  Lyman  B.  38,  39, 194. 
Parsons,  Theodore,  16. 
Partridge,  Erastus,  212. 
Partridge.  Leroy  C.  212. 
Patrons  of  Husbandry,  53  67,  71, 

247,  253,  263,  274,  285,293,  329 
Patterson,  Albeit  M.  44. 
Peach  Orchard,  Indian  Village, 

132,  160. 

Pearson,  John  G.  247. 
Pearson,  David,  241. 
Peddle.  Eva  Miss,  245. 
Pendell,  W.  R.  49. 
Pennsylvania  Troops,  102. 


Peterson,  Christopher,  54. 

Pierson,  Jedediah,  49. 

Pioneer  Settlers.  45,   60,  69,  220, 

228,  243,277,282,  340. 
Phelps  Brass  Band,  71,  253,  258, 

262,  286. 

Phillips,  Mary  Miss,  245. 
Phillips,  Wm.  E.  38,  39. 
Poet  at  Celebration,  43,  46,  69, 

161. 

Police  at  Celebration,  44,  68 
Pollard,  Wm.  H.  220, 
Pontius,  C.  C.  53. 
Poor.  Enoch  Gen.,   65,  101,  110, 

112,  113,  117.  122  131. 
Post,  Cornelius  Col.,  206. 
Potter,  Clarkson  N.  Hon.,  169. 
Pratt,   Chas.   W    44,  49,  64,  257, 
Preface,  by  Rev.  8.  H.  Gridley,3. 
Press,  see  newspaper  press. 
Procession    at    Celebration,    68, 

254,  261,  '<!68,  270,   289,   293, 
295,  336. 

Programme  of  Exercises,  338. 
Prowtt,  Degorry,  209. 
Queen  Esther,  111,  130,  153. 
Quinby,   Walter,   11.   13,  25,  26, 

35,  44,  233,  255,  257,  341,  343. 
Rain  Storm,   89,   259,    268,   274, 

280,  288,  291. 
Ranaall,  Charles  B.  247. 
i Randall,  Nellie  Miss,  246. 
Reamer,    John.    49.    69,  73,  263, 

268,  290,  338. 

Reamer  &  Hallsted,  49,  247. 
Reception  at  Malt    House,  241, 

255,  269,  274,  293,  295. 

Red  Jacket,  Indian  Chief,  17, 153, 

163,  165.  197,  199. 
Reed,  A.  C.  44. 
Reed,  Cora  Miss,  245. 
Reed,  Setb,  316,  317. 
Re-union  at  Waterloo,  47,  334. 
Reverend  Clergy,   69,   221,   230, 

see  also  "Chaplains." 
Reynolds,  Carrie  Miss,  246. 
Reynolds,  Levi,  49. 
Richardson,  Jas.  K.  Hon.  8,  18. 
Richardson,   John  E.  38,  44,  335. 
Richardson,  Mabel  Mrs.  K.  8. 
Riley,  H.  H.  Hon.,  16,  188. 
Ritter,  Michael  B.  48. 
Roberts,  Isaac  P.  Prof.,  242. 
Roberts,  Philo,  243, 


354 


INDEX. 


Roberts,  Wm.  206.  223. 

Robinson,  Lucius,  Governor,  167.  Seymour,  H.  W.  212. 
Rochester  Democrat  &  Chronicle,  Seymour,  Norman,  190. 
242,  288.  Shankwiler,  Perry  D.  49. 


Rogers,  P.  J.  Capt.  249. 

Rolfe,  Henry  C,  54. 

Romulus,  Town  of,  38,  39,  41,  44, 


67,  72,  208,  244,  253,  263,  275,  j        lage,  65,  153. 


Sherman,  John  Hon.  191. 
Simms,  Jeptha  R.  174. 
Skan-na-yu-te-nate,    Indian    vil- 


807,  318. 
Rorison,  Mary  Mies,  247. 
Rumsey  &  Company,   72, 

263,  285. 

Rumsey,  Horace  N.  69. 
Ryckman,  Peter,  316,  317. 
Ryno,  J.  L.  38,  39,  194. 
Sackett,  Garry  V.  191,  212. 
Salisbury,  E.  G.  242. 
Sandford,  Jared,  192. 
Sands,  Jacob,  44. 
Sayre,  Charles  H.  41,  45,  69. 
Sayre,  Edward,  243. 
Sayre,  John  Hon.,  208. 
Sayre,  W.  S.  192. 


Skoi-yase,  Indian  village,  27,  55, 
65,  74.  134,  148,    161, 
253,  303,  3H. 

Fishery   at,    315,  323. 
Location  of,  317,  318. 
Monument  at,  25,  47, 
55,  233,  279,  2fe3,  291. 
"  Orthography   of,  314. 

Slack,  E.  F.  258. 
Smith,  Edna  Miss,  244. 
Smith,  Edney,  54. 
(Smith,  Hattie  E.  Miss,  245. 
imith,  Jason.  220,  243. 
Smith,  J.  B.  Rev.  242. 
Smith,  James  C.  Hon.  192, 


Schoonmaker,E  J  Dr.  88,  53,  247.  Smith,  Job,  230,  306. 


Schoonmaker,  E.  J.  Mrs.,  54. 
Schurz,  Carl.  Hon.,  191. 
Schuyler,  Philip  Gen.  114,  14G. 
Scott,  Wm.  Maj.  65,  148. 
Seeley,  DeForest  P.  38. 
Seeley,  Nathaniel  49. 
Seeley,  Wm.  209. 
Selmser,  Benj.  44. 
Selmser,  Godfrey,  11,  260. 
Selmser,  G.  &  Son,  260,  275. 


Smith,  P.  E.    Rev.  41,  42,  43,  45, 

69,  192,  254,  338. 
Smith,  Robert  G.  11. 
iSnook,  Jesse,  44,  48,  257. 
Snyder,  Barney,  49. 
Snyder,  M.  49. 

Soldiers  of  late  war,  45,   54,  67, 

70,  249 

Soldiers  of  1812,  see  "Veterans  of 

1812." 
Seneca  County    Courier  ,43,  48,  South   Waterloo   Martial  Band, 

56,  152,  265,  274,  345.  71,  259.  262,  *86, 

Seneca  County  Courier,   "notes"  Southwick  Orin  Hon.  38,  41,  45, 

published  by,  274,  345.  69,  201,  230,  306. 

Seneca  County,  formation  of,  45,  Sprague.  Geo.  H.  242. 

307  Stacey,  Wm.  W.  38,  44,  276. 

Seneca  County  News,    43,   239,  Steele,  J.  Dorman,  176 

259.  Steele,  Mamie  Miss,  244. 

Seneca    Falls  Cornet  Band,  72,  Steele,  Richerd  M.  Col.  38,  39. 

253,  259,  262,  267,  286,  339.       Steele,  Robert  R.  Hon.  38,  39,  44, 
Seneca  Falls  frevetlle,  43,  269.  69,  217. 

Seneca  Falls,  Town  of,  38,  39,  41.  Steuben,  Fred'k.  W,  Baron,  173. 

44,  66,  67,  70,  72,  209,  245,253.  Stevenson,  James,  17. 

263.  307,  839.  iStevenson,  Robt.  L.  Hen.  45,  G9. 

Seneca  Lake,  description  of,  307.  Stevenson,  Wm.  A.  68. 

308.  Srevecs,  Luther  F.  Hon.,  191. 

Sentiments  and  Toasts,  193,  219,  Stewart,  David,  49. 
Serven,  Elizabeth  Miss,  245.  Stone,  John  R.  38,  39. 

Serven,  Geo.  49.  Stone,  Laura  Miss,  246. 

Seymour,   Horatio   Hon.    4,   85,  Stone,  Minnie  Miss,  246. 


INDEX. 


355 


Stone,  Wm.  L.  219. 

Storke,   J.  E.   Col.   68,  69,    248 

257,  262,  285,   293,  337. 
Story,  Leonard,  342,  343. 
Stout,  Isaac  H.  71,  194 
Stowell,  Henry,  43,  269. 
Stowell,  H.  Mrs.  275. 
Strang,  Wm.  245. 
Strong,  E.  F.  45,  212. 
Stuart,  Charles,  Dr.  191, 
Stuart,  Charles  E.  Hon.  190,  272, 
Stuart,  Julia  Miss,  245, 
Stucker,  Samuel,  243. 
Sullivan,  Edward,  Hon.  168,  219 
Sullivan,  John ,  Gen.   40,    28,  34 

65,  90,  100,  103,  127,  156,  157~ 

159,219,  265,  236. 
Supervisors,  Appointments  by, 38 

Circular  to,  37. 
Names  of  in  1879, 38 
Swaby,  Fred  B.  53. 
Swaby,  W.  A.  44. 

Swah-ya-wa-na,    Indian  village, 

65,  154. 

Swan,  Robert  J.  38,  41,  44,  45,  69. 
Sweet,  Charles  C,  241, 
Swetland,  Luke,  133, 
Swick,  David  Col.  243. 
Swift,  Moses  H.  309. 
Swift  Post,  G.  A.  R.  70,  262. 
Sxvift,  Reuben,  17,  191,  309. 
Syracuse   Standard,  242,  286. 
Syracuse  Even'g  Herald,  242.293 
Talbot;  Thomas  Gov.  (Mass)  191. 
Tally  Ho-Coach,    Waterloo,    70, 

244,  261,  263. 
Telford,  Annie  Miss,  245. 
TenEyck,     Snndford.   R.     Hon. 

220,  221,  242,  272. 
Tents,  at  Celebration,  46,  64. 
Terwilliger,  A.  H.  11,  41,   44,  49, 

335. 

Terwilliger,  Nellie  S.  Miss,  244, 
Thomas,  Frances  Miss,  246. 
Thomas,  George,  247. 
Thomas,  James  B.  Hon.  44,  69. 
Thomas,  Michael,  49, 
Thomas,  Samuel,  49, 
Thompson,  L.  P.  70. 
Thompson,  Wm.  Hon.  191, 
Tiffany,  Carrie  Miss,  246, 
Tillman,  Andrew  P.  212. 


Toasts,  and  Sentiments,  193,  219, 


273. 


Tower,  Geo.  242. 
Townsend,  Robert, Capt,  58.  287. 
Towns,  action  of,  38.  39,  41,  44.46. 
Towsley  House,  Waterloo,  259, 

260,  285,  287. 
Traver,  Peter,  45,  49,  69. 
Troutman,  Henry  F  73 
Tuthill,  H.  H.  Capt.  248. 
Tyler,  Comfort,  206 
Tyler  J.  Snyder  Post,  G.  A,  R. 

70,  262. 
Tyre,  Town  of,  38,  39,  41,  45,  212, 

307. 

Vail,  S.  S.  242. 

Van  Buren,  John  D,  Col.  192. 
Van  Buren.  Martin,  70. 
Van  Buekirk,  Levi,  38. 
Van  Cleef,  Emma  Miss,  245. 
Van  Cleef,   Lawrence,  210,  230, 

243,  306. 

Van  Cleef,  Lottie  Miss,  245. 
Van  Cleef  Peter  U.  44,  69,  253. 
Van  Cortlandt,   Philip  Col.  102, 

117,  124,  306. 

Vandemark,  Chas.  F.  49. 
Vandemark,   Wm.   W.  Hon.  38, 

39,  45.  49,  54,  71,  200. 
Van  Doren,  Abram,  243. 
Van  Epps,  C.  Mrs.  277. 
Van  Liew,  Charles  J.  38,  39. 
Van  Liew,  Richard,  44,  69,  244. 
Van  Nostrand,  Wm.  Mrs.  54 
Van  Rensselaer  Jeremiah,  306. 
Van  Schaick  Col.  115,  181. 
Van  Tuyl,  John,  17. 
Van  Vleet,  Chas.  258. 
Van  Wyck,  F.  C.  Mrs.  186. 
Varick,  Richard  Col.  215. 
Varick,   Town  of,  38,   39,  41,  44, 

199,  214,  307. 

Vescelius,  Casper  B.  41,  45,  B9. 
Veterans  of  1812,   45,  50,   68,  69, 

220,  243,  277,  340. 
Vice  Presidents,  at  Celebration, 

44,  45,  69. 

Vredenburgh,  Wm.  I.  319. 
Wade,  Jeptha  H.  Hon,  192. 
Walker,  Gilbert  C.  Hon.  191. 
Walker  William,  38,  39,  340. 
Wallace,  Geo.  Rev.  60. 
Walley,  Martin  L.  242. 
Warner,  Frank,  242. 
Warner,  Henry,  15. 


Warner,  Inez  Miss,  245. 
25. 


356 


INDEX. 


Warner,  Sidney,  11. 
Washington,   Geo.   Gen.   65,  98, 

99,  100,  104,  106,  199,  265. 
Waterloo  Cornet  Band.    58,  70, 

253,  258,  262,  267,  286. 
Waterloo,    in   Belgium,     battle 

field  of.  282,  273. 

Waterloo  Library  &  Historical 
'Society,  3,7.29, 
37,   74,  79.  310. 
Centennial  Cele- 
bration  by,    28, 
33,  35,  36,  39,  40, 
42,  44,  45,  68,  73, 
250,  266,  269,  289, 
306, 

Charter    of,   15. 
Exploring  tour, 
of,  25,  55. 
Historical     Col 
lection  of,  22. 
H  i  s  t  o  r  i,c  a  1 
Sketch  of.    7. 
Library  Hall  of, 
23,    24,  313.  343. 
Library  of,     12, 
13, 14,  15,  310,313 
Monument       at 
Skoi-Yase,       27, 
47,    55,  233,    255, 
264,269.  279,291. 
Officers  of,  341, 
343. 

Waterloo  Literary  and  Historical 
Society,  11,  12. 

Waterloo   Observer,    43.    51,   57, 
.  64,   167   245,  251,  272.  292. 

Waterloo  Re-union.  47,  334. 

Waterloo,  Times,  43. 

Waterloo,  action  of  Town  of,  8, 
1.6.  36.  38.  39,  41,  45,  47,  70, 
218.244,  253,  307,  334. 

Watkins,  Eliza  Mrs.,  20. 

Watkins,  John,  191.  323. 

Watkins,  John  C.  20. 

Watson,Elkanah,183,  306,  307,324 

Watson,  Efchan,  Dr.  209. 

Watson,  Winslow  C.  182,  272. 

Wayne,  Wm.  G.  220. 

Webster,  Charles  V.  241. 


Webster,  M.  S.  248. 
Weissenfeldt,  Fred'k  Lieut.  Col. 

103. 

Wessel,  Minnie  Miss,  245. 
Welles,  Edward  R.  Rt.  Rev.  189. 
Welles,  Gardner  Dr.  191. 
Welles.Samuel  R  Dr.  4,  8.13.  16, 

23,   28,  38.    43,     69,    77,    299, 

332,  335,  341,  343. 
Wheeler.  Dewitt  C.  38,  39,  41, 43, 

45,  69,  194. 

Wheeler,  Lester,  242. 
Wilcoxen,  Gilbert  Hon.    38,  39, 

44,  209,  340. 
Willard,  T.  R.  242. 
Willett  M.  Lt.  Col.  117. 
Willers,  D-edrich,  Rev.  216,  221, 

230,  273. 
Willers,    Diedrich,    Jr.  3.  11,  15, 

28,  38,  39,  33,   43,  44,   69,  217, 

332,  333. 
Williams,  Cassius,  258. 
Williams.Dwight,  Rev.  46,  69,161 

241,  268.  278,  280,291,  294,  338. 
Williams,  Elisba,   309. 
Williams,  Elizabeth,  Mrs.,  15. 
Williams,  May  Miss,  245, 
Williams.  Samuel,  17. 
Wilson,  Ella  Miss.  247. 
Wilson,  John  N.  38. 
Wilson,  Joseph,  206,  230. 
Wilson.  Libbie  Miss,  246. 
Wisner,  David,  230. 
Wooden,  Robert,  17. 
Woodin,  G.  49. 
Woodruff,  B.  F.  192. 
Woodruff,  G.  H.  242. 
Woolworth,  Samuel  B.  Dr.  192. 
Wuchter,  Henry,  323. 

Yates  Dragoons,   08,  72,  253,  337, 

840. 

Yost,  Casper,  48. 
Yost,  Jennie  Miss,  246. 
Young,  Benjamin,  192. 
Youngs.  Charles,  49. 
Young  Ladies  in  White,  47,  67, 

68,    70,   71,    72.   199,  244,  253, 

275,  276,  295,  340. 
Zeisberger,  D.  Rev.  324. 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


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